Martin O'Neill reckons tonight's Champions League clash with RB Leipzig is not only a 'must-win' for Celtic but a 'will win'.
The former Parkhead boss believes Celtic created enough chances in Germany last week's 3-1 defeat to be confident that they can get at Leipzig with the backing of a 60,000 capacity crowd in Glasgow's East End. O'Neill was back in the city he made home for five years between 2000-2005 as he helped launch William Hill’s newly transformed, state-of-the-art shop on Gordon Street and he insisted that despite having taken only one point from their first three Champions League matches, Europe's elite competition is where they - and Rangers - have to be competing.
The Northern Irishman said: “It’s absolutely vital for them to be in the Champions League and also for Rangers as well. Two teams playing in the Champions League, you know you talk about the experiences, both clubs will be better for it this season. It’s so important for Scottish football. This is really a must win game for Celtic because if Leipzig get too far in front of them now then that’s going to be very, very difficult to overcome. This is the must win, so there’s no point in talking about any other fixture other than this one.
“We have to win this game and they’re capable of doing it. They showed in Leipzig, where they had a lot of the ball, created some really good chances as well, that if they could convert some of those chances into goals then they are definitely capable of winning the game.
“The atmosphere will be phenomenal. You think about Real Madrid who play at the Bernabeu Stadium and they’re talking about the atmosphere, it’s really really special. The atmosphere on European nights and the games against Rangers – it’s incredible, it’s very very hard to describe, it’s so up-lifting.
“The performances have been good, the results haven’t matched I must admit, but now they have a chance against Leipzig to try and put that right.
"In their opening game against Real Madrid for an hour I thought they played splendidly and could easily have taken the lead in that match, and you never know even though it’s Real Madrid – they’re a very assured team obviously from winning the Champions League – that result might have been different.
“In their other two performances they could easily have won those games, they’re sitting there with one point on the board at the moment – and these next two matches are absolutely vital for them – they’re capable of winning the games and that would be fantastic."
And the 70-year praised the enormous impact Ange Postecoglou has made in improving the fortunes of his former club since taking over last summer.
O'Neill added: “Oh he’s had a great time, no question about that. He came in, the results were sticky quite early on, the players that he brought into the football club, I don’t think they were household names in that sense, but he’s had a really good run and the players have responded. It’s been a really good time for Celtic.”
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