Celtic are preparing for a huge Champions League qualifier with Astana.
Kris Commons, speaking to The Daily Mail, believes that Celtic can reach the knockout phase of the Champions League this season, adding that another bottom-of-the-group finish would be plain “unacceptable” by Brendan Rodgers’s side.
Celtic are gearing up for a first-leg playoff with Astana at Parkhead on Wednesday as the Hoops look to put one foot into the group stages for the second season in a row.
Rodgers’s side had a mixed group-stage campaign last season, earning impressive draws home and away to Manchester City but Rodgers’s troops still finished last in a pool which also included Barcelona and Borussia Monchengladbach.
Unless they’re very unlucky, the Bhoys should have have less formidable opponents this time around, and Commons says that the Scottish treble winners should be aiming to finish second in the group if they get past the Kazakhstan outfit.
He told The Daily Mail: “Brendan will want to improve on last season. His team were invincible domestically and won the Treble. So how do you get better? The short answer is Europe.
“With Brendan’s preparation skills, and if he can keep his players fit, then Celtic could be looking at second or third in a group. Bottom of a group is unacceptable. The target will be to stay in Europe after Christmas.”
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