Ange Postecoglou will rank among the great Celtic managers of the modern era if he keeps up his current trajectory, according to Alan Thompson.
The former midfielder has been impressed by the Australian since he took over at Parkhead last year and Premiership glory in the spring saw him win his first title. They are already four points clear in this race and take on Real Madrid tonight in their final Champions League match of the season.
Already out of Europe, Thompson reckons the pressure is now off Celtic heading into the Group F glamour match. But it's winning the league again and getting back to that level that will define their season, with Postecoglou tipped to maintain a road to greatness. He told Grosvenor Sport: "If Ange maintains the record he's built for the next three or four seasons then he'll rank amongst the best managers in Celtic's modern history, that's for sure.
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"Inevitably though, you get judged as a Celtic or Rangers manager on the trophies that you've won. There's no pressure on Celtic against Real Madrid whatsoever.
"I think it's essential for Celtic to win the league title this season so that they avoid the Champions League qualifiers and I think being out of Europe could be a blessing in disguise for them to focus on getting into the Champions League automatically next season.
"They can't qualify for the knockout stages so they can just go and play against one of the top sides in the world in one of the best stadiums in the world and just relax and enjoy themselves.
"Hopefully, they can get a positive result to help maintain the momentum in the league campaign."
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