Celtic were already in a buoyant mood having won all their domestic fixtures so far - but Chris Sutton believes Wednesday's 5-1 Champions League victory over Slovan Bratislava will have "turbo charged" their confidence even more.
The Hoops sit second in the new league phase table after the first round of fixtures. The top eight teams will qualify for the knockout stage automatically, while finishing anywhere between there and 24th can guarantee a play-off.
Sutton knows his old club can't take anything for granted competing at such level, yet reckons there's no need for them to fear any of their upcoming European opponents this season.
"I’m not saying they will make the top eight and go straight into the last 16," the ex-Celtic striker wrote in his Daily Record column.
"We still have to be realistic. But finishing in the top 24 and reaching the play-off round? Why not? The door is open.
“If they hadn’t won the other night it would have been a different story. They would have been up against it, right from the off. Instead they didn’t just win. They won in some style and it will have turbo charged the mood in the camp.
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"Celtic have made an extraordinary start to the season, in Scotland, and now in Europe. The challenge is now to maintain it. I’ve said often enough, when it comes to the Champions League, fans would as well just turn up 20 minutes before kick-off to get the atmosphere and then leave when the first whistle blows.
"The other night you couldn’t get fans to leave 20 minutes after the match. It was a seriously impressive performance. They’ll need an even better one in Dortmund in a few weeks.
"But the key thing for me is the fact they should not fear anyone in this section. Celtic completely imposed their game on Bratislava the other night and it will be really interesting to see if they can do something similar against a top team like Dortmund.
"This is last season’s Champions League finalists remember, so it will be no mean feat. There will be times when they will have to weather the storm, that’s for sure.
"But you look at the attacking talent and intent in the side, and you would have confidence they can hurt any side – including the likes of Dortmund and Atalanta. Look, I know how tough it is to get points away from home in this competition. In my time at Celtic, we enjoyed some terrific nights at Celtic Park.
"We also had some horror shows on the road. It isn’t any easier these days and you’d got to think anything they can take from Germany and Italy would be a bonus. The fact supporters can even consider it is a measure of how far they have come in the last few months."
