It’s almost time for Champions League nights to return to Celtic Park, with the Hoops primed for their opener with Slovan Bratislava on Wednesday night under the lights.
Fans will be eager to finally get a taste of UEFA’s new look format, with Celtic looking to maximise the home crowd to make an instant impact in this year's competition.
As club captain Callum McGregor prepares to lead the Hoops out at Parkhead into the Champions League for a third consecutive season, the 31-year-old has revealed a sweet family moment from his first team debut ten years ago.
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"The game against Reykjavik was as big a turning point you can get really,” he said. “Your first team debut and early rounds of the Champions League. You want to make an impact and be remembered because a lot of people come through and have five or six games then it doesn't materialise into the way they first planned it would.
“My parents stayed up until 4am to welcome me back when I first got back from the game. It was a brilliant family moment."
McGregor scored the only goal of the game to give Celtic a 1-0 victory over KR Reykjavik in a Champions League qualifier back in July 2014.
Looking ahead to this year’s campaign, the skipper says everything points to a “positive beginning” for Celtic.
Speaking to UEFA TV about the new format, McGregor said: "It's fresh, it's new and everybody will be playing in it for the first time. Obviously I think your seeding then helps as well. Coming from pot 3 you are then playing against teams of a rough kind of marker of where you think you should be at.
"We've got a home game to start the competition. It all points to a sort of positive beginning of the campaign. On the night we have to do a lot right to make sure we maximise that."
The revamped tournament will see a 36-team single league phase, with Celtic playing eight games in total. A top eight finish will earn teams a place in the last 16, while those finishing between ninth and 24th will play a two-legged knockout tie for the chance to advance to the next round.
Brendan Rodgers’ side will face Bratislava, RB Leipzig, Club Brugge and Young Boys at home, with away trips to Aston Villa, Borussia Dortmund, Atalanta and Dinamo Zagreb.
