Celtic getting more respect in Europe, says Callum McGregor

The Hoops skipper spoke ahead of Celtic’s showdown with BSC Young Boys in the Champions League, knowing a victory in that tie would secure progression to the knockout play-offs of the competition.

The captain believes that recent games have shown that other Champions League clubs are now approaching playing Celtic differently.

McGregor said: “After the Leipzig game teams are giving us a bit more respect.

We’ve got good players that can pick you off, we’ve got speed in transition and all these things.

“We’re facing more mid pitch blocks, they’re trying to force us down one side and trap you there. It’s up to us to find a solution to that.”

This is a trend that McGregor believes will continue against the Swiss champions, who are bottom of the Champions League group table and unable to qualify themselves.

He added: “The last two games have been against teams that were more zonal and sat lower down on the pitch – obviously the Leipzig game, they’re a pressing team, they’re known for coming after you and our football was sensational that night.

“Since then teams have thought they can’t go flying after Celtic so now they’re a bit deeper down on the pitch and more comfortable in that mid pitch block.

“We’ll probably have a variation of both of that tomorrow. They like to be aggressive at goal kicks and static situations but from mid block onwards they’re a wee bit more zonal.

“We’ve worked on some things in training and we’ll need to find solutions on the pitch tomorrow night.”

The Celtic Park atmosphere is always a part of these big occasions, especially with qualification on the line, and McGregor is keen for the team to give the fans the boost they need.

“It’s down to us to give a performance that gets the crowd involved in the game.” He says.

“We just need to bring it all together and hopefully we’ll have a good night.

“We’ve tried and failed most of the time [to reach the knockouts] so it’s a big step for the club – everyone wants to be a part of it.

“We don’t want to be the nearly team – we’ve got the profile of player and squad that we should be getting success.”