Celtic have a 12-year itch in desperate need of being scratched.

It's been a 'dirty dozen' of them since Celtic qualified for the knockout phase of the Champions League when Neil Lennon guided his men through to a last-16 clash against Juventus which they lost 5-0 on aggregate.

The list of lesser-lighted teams on the European scene who have claimed the scalp of the Scottish champions in qualifiers is not stellar. The shame list includes Maribor, Malmo, AEK Athens, CFR Cluj, Ferencvaros and FC Midtjylland. The least said about those ignominious exits from the elite level of European club competition the better.

This time around though it's different vastly different. There appears to be a green-and-white sea change as Celtic heads to Germany to face last season's Champions League runner-up Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park.

Brendan Rodgers' side is travelling in a confident mood after blitzing Slovan Bratislava 5-1 in their opening Champions League league phase encounter on Matchday One. What a difference a morale-boosting win at the Champions League level does for a side. It's been a very long time since Celtic and their fans have felt this way about their team on the European stage.

If you listen to the mood music around Glasgow's east end right now the Celtic manager, players and supporters are currently humming a wonderful tune. Their optimism is not misplaced either. There is a genuine belief that this squad of players can shock Borussia Dortmund in their own backyard and get a positive result to bring back to G40.

A Champions League tie against Borussia Dortmund would have filled the green and white hordes with dread and fear this time last year. Not anymore. There is a feel-good factor coursing through everybody at Celtic Park that makes the potential and possibility of achieving something incredible...actually doesn't seem that absurd or out there at all. Yet Celtic are buoyant.

Rodgers has largely been responsible for the turnaround. The awkwardness has gone between the manager and the fanbase. The Irishman is back all right and he is winning trophies. Europe? That remains the only unticked box for the 51-year-old. Celtic are a work in progress in this arena but Rodgers is getting to work.

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The £11 million record summer acquisition of Belgian international Arne Engels has also helped. The 23-year-old has fitted in seamlessly to his new surroundings and he can't wait to return to the ground where he made his Bundesliga debut for Augburg in a 4-3 defeat when he was just 19 years of age.

The Yellow Wall in the South Stand or to give it the proper name: “Die Gelbe Wande” in the “Sudtribune” will be packed to the rafters with 25,000 partisan and passionate Dortmund fans on Tuesday night. One thing is for certain Engels won't be intimidated by the famous 'Yellow Wall' not when he will be backed by a swathe of green and white. Engels said: "It's going to be obviously a hard challenge there. It's like every game in the Champions League, it's at the highest level.

"They're all good teams, but we are also a good team. I think we don't need to be scared of anybody. We just need to play our own game and see how it goes. It's going to be the same here. It's the same noise, even louder sometimes. It's going to be really good and helpful for me.

“Here it's also intimidating. It's also nice to play here. Now you have the fans with you and not against you. That's also a different feeling and a really nice feeling.”

Ironically AC Milan, Newcastle United, Paris Saint-Germain, PSV Eindhoven and Atletico Madrid all failed to record a victory in the world-renowned 81,365-capacity arena during the 2023/24 campaign.

The task facing Celtic is an onerous one but not insurmountable one. Not when you consider Dortmund were recently defeated 5-1 by VfB Stuttgart in a display that caused new manager Nuri Sahin to admit that he never wanted to see a performance like it again. Borussia Dortmund will warm up for the Celtic clash with a home game against VfL Bochum on Friday night. It remains to be seen if there will be any kind of hangover from the Stuttgart clash.

This is a tie that Celtic are relishing big time. This is a match that excites everybody. Rodgers has been priming his team for this moment since the pre-season. The impressive wins over English Premier League opposition in the shape of Chelsea and Manchester City on the USA tour were the precursor.

That was the appetiser. Borussia Dortmund is the main course. Celtic and Rodgers are desperate to prove that they belong at the top table where the dining is fine. Rodgers is also keen to show that Celtic can feast regularly from the Champions League league phase football menu.

The victories over Chelsea and Manchester City served as something so much more to this team. They were the blueprint for success at the Champions League level for Celtic. If Celtic can bring similar levels of performance to Dortmund then there is no reason why they cannot achieve something special.

(Image: SNS Group Craig Williamson) Rodgers has also been bullish about the ability of his side to compete at that level. His mantra has been 'We are here to compete not just participate'. There is confidence abounding ay Celtic. This is potentially a really good Celtic team we are witnessing who are following Rodgers's instructions to the letter of the law.

They are playing with the pace and power which has been a joy to watch at times. There is height and even good old-fashioned brute force and strength that is sometimes required to net teams points in this competition. There is some strength in depth in key areas on the bench as well. These are the very qualities that Celtic have drastically lacked in recent seasons when they have been ill-prepared for games of such magnitude both on and off the park. 

Maribor, Malmo, AEK Athens, CFR Cluj, Ferencvaros and FC Midtjylland... anyone? It's high time Celtic made the impact that Rodgers clearly craves on this stage. It's also time for Celtic's 12-year knockout Champions League itch to be scratched once and for all. Stranger things have happened.

Celtic are capable of giving Borussia Dortmund a bloody nose. If Rodgers does guide Celtic to a historic Champions League league phase away win against Borussia Dortmund then we'll all be dusting down that famous Sir Alex Ferguson quote: "I can't believe it, I can't believe it. Football, bloody hell."

It would be enough to drive the Germans up 'The Yellow Wall'.