Why Celtic can compete with anyone in the Champions League

How is everyone ahead of this challenge tomorrow night?

Yeah, good, positive, you know, I think the weekend was a good one for us. In the second half before we played well as well, so just looking to build on that going to us tomorrow.

As players, do you look at that new league table? How many points you might need and what do the permutations look like for progression?

Yeah, to be honest, we kind of outlined how many points we wanted to reach, but you know, since then we've just been kind of taking it game by game and I think we're in a strong position at the moment, so just about adding to that points tally and seeing how many points we can achieve.

Was that tally 10 and if so, how big an incentive is it this week?

Yeah, I mean, it was around that. I think we fell the group, we're probably pretty close to getting out of this kind of group phase of the tournament, so like I said, there are still four games left and we want to get positive results in all of them, so it's just kind of us against ourselves now, and seeing how many points we can get.

How good is it to have the RB Leipzig performance recently, so fresh in the memory to try and replicate that one?

Yeah, that was a really good night, you know, I thought the performance throughout the game was pretty good. I think they probably had a 15-20 minute spell where they were probably on top, but apart from that, I thought we controlled the game pretty well, so you know, it's an experience that we can look back on as a positive one and try and take that in tomorrow and building it as well.

How much do you guys feel that you probably belong at this level now, given the last series of results and the good performances at home in the last three Champions League matches here at Celtic Park?

I think if you look at kind of as a group, you know, we've been in this competition now for three years, and I think you can kind of see how we've kind of matured and grown as a group in this competition, and you know, it's not just about learning from this season, I think we can take our learning from the last couple seasons, and we have done so far to get into this season's competition, and at the moment it's paying off well for us.

What have you learned the most from playing at this level? What has improved you as a player individually, but also maybe the whole of you as a backline?

Yeah, I think as a backline, as a team, it's just about looking at the finer details. I think at this level, you know, small mistakes that maybe don't get punished in the league get punished, and this is about trying to eradicate them as much as you can. Of course, you're never going to eradicate all mistakes, that's impossible, but to try and, you know, tighten up on small details where we can here and there, definitely, definitely will help us.

Do you feel like you can beat almost anyone on this ground, on these big Champions League nights now?

We're definitely confident, and I think, you know, our performances have shown that you know, we definitely can compete at a high level, so it's just about doing that consistently now.

Did that Leipzig game feel like a real turning point when it comes to Celtic playing in Europe? There's maybe been an inside view or the outside view, that Celtic teams might go into big games with a bit of trepidation, but being able to go into that competing well, getting that result, what does that do in terms of going forward on the Champions League?

Yeah, I'm not sure if I'll say a turning point. I think, you know, even when results haven't gone away, we always believe that, before any game, we can get a result. I think more than anything, you know, the Leipzig game probably showed, you know, people outside of our team and our group that, you know, we can. And I think we always believe in ourselves, but, you know, it's definitely good to show others that, and give others an example of what we've always believed.

Is that what gives you the confidence then, going into tomorrow night, that you can back up that performance, putting a very similar one in and get a similar result?

Yeah, hopefully, you know, with the, you know, Bruges are a very good team, so we know it'll be difficult, but, you know, we're kind of focusing on building on our last game in this competition and going from there.

You mentioned there's a feeling that you're almost there in terms of getting out of this group. Just put into context how big do you think that would be for this group of players and their development and overall achievement if that was the case?

I think it would be a big achievement. It's a new format this year, so it's slightly different to the previous years, but, you know, I think our goal from the beginning of the tournament has been to get to a knockout round. And like you said, you know, we feel like we're pretty close to that, but, you know, we're fully aware that it's still four tough games to go and we need to get stuff from them games, so we are still focused

You touched on it a bit earlier, but in terms of the group, how much have you seen them grow in these four games being exposed to this high level?

I think we've grown massively, and like I was kind of saying before, I'll take you back to the previous three seasons. It's been a massive learning experience for me and the group, and I think now you can kind of see that we're probably a bit more mature at this level, a bit more composed at this level, and, you know, I think that helps us pick up points.

Just on your recent new partnership with Auston Trusty at the back, how do you feel that he's come into the team and settled, and how is it for you being with someone like him now?

It's been good. I think Auston's came in and started fantastic. You can see the attributes that he has and what he brings to the team, and, you know, so far, I've enjoyed it.

Does he compare definitely with someone like Carl Starfelt, who was, you know, a quick centre-back but he was a right-footed player playing on the left? Does that change anything for you in terms of your positioning and stuff?

Not, defensively, to be honest. You know, it's probably slight tweaks that, you know, they're just different, whether you're left foot or right footed player playing on whatever side you're playing on, it's just different angles and stuff like that on the ball, but defensively, I wouldn't say there's much difference.

Finally, on yourself, do you feel like your preparation coming into Champions League games is different from sort of domestic games and do you relish these games sort of more?

Yeah, I wouldn't say the preparation is different. I think, you know, at this club, especially every game is a pressure game and, you know, you're aware that you have to win every game. So, the preparation is not too different, but it's nice that I think there's a player you can enjoy and, you know, you will kind of want to showcase your talent and the team's talent, so yeah, we're looking forward to it.

Can I ask you about Arne Engels, have there been some additional conversations with him because he'll know a lot of these players very well, won't he?

I think Arne's been giving us some pointers here and then. Same as Kasper Schmeichel as well. I think he said he played them four times last season, so they had some information for us.

You've missed a few Champions League matches and your Celtic career through injury. So, how much do you relish these opportunities playing in these sorts of nights?

Yeah, like I was just saying they are special matches, especially here. You know, the crowd is always up for it, which, you know, as a player gives you that added bit of kind of motivation going into the game. So, you know, definitely nice. We look forward to it.