Joey Barton comments on Celtic’s Champions League hopes

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Celtic begin their Champions League campaign against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.

Joey Barton has told The Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast on talkSPORT (broadcast on 11th September 2017; 9:40 am) that it would be a phenomenal achievement if Celtic were to get through to the knockout stages of the Champions League this season.

Brendan Rodgers’ men have reached the group-stages of the competition for the second successive year, and they will be looking to better their performance from last season when they finished bottom of a nightmare group that included Barcelona, Manchester City and Borussia Monchengladbach.

Unfortunately for the Hoops, their group this time around appears to be no easier, with Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Anderlecht drawn alongside them.

And ahead of Tuesday’s group-stage opener with PSG, Barton – who, of course, spent a short spell with Celtic’s rivals Rangers last season – suggested that it would be a massive ask for Rodgers’ men to qualify or finish third, but also hinted that it would be foolish to rule out the Bhoys springing some surprises along the way – especially at home.

“If they were to get to the knockout stages, it would be a phenomenal achievement. But Brendan Rodgers has got them playing good football,” he told The Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast on talkSPORT.

“They can afford to maybe not be at full tilt in the domestic campaign which the English clubs don’t really have the luxury of doing. So you never know, again, Celtic Park on European nights, [it’s a] phenomenal atmosphere there but I just think the group they’ve got, they’d be delighted finishing third. It’s a tough, tough Champions League group that.”

As Barton suggests, Celtic’s domestic dominance may just give them a better chance of extending their European journey beyond these next six games.

Having achieved the Invincible season last term, Rodgers may perhaps be more inclined to take a few more gambles domestically and prioritise the Champions League to ensure that they are in a stronger position for the midweek European games.