Celtic’s dreams of Champions League football after Christmas were dashed by Bayern Munich on Tuesday night.
Mikael Lustig has told the Glasgow Evening Times that he believes Celtic can achieve Europa League glory after being knocked out of the Champions League group stages.
Brendan Rodgers’ side fought bravely against German champions Bayern Munich on Tuesday night but suffered a 2-1 defeat at Celtic Park, leaving them with no chance of making it into the last 16 of the competition.
However, if the Hoops finish third in Group B ahead of Belgian giants Anderlecht, then they will qualify for the Europa League knockout stages after Christmas.
Celtic currently sit in third with two Champions League matches still to be played against Paris Saint-Germain and Anderlecht, and Sweden international Lustig is optimistic about the Hoops chances in the Europa League if they qualify.
“Yes [we have a chance of winning the Europa League] – as long as we turn up in the manner we did at home to Bayern,” Lustig said. “We know we’ll be hard to beat and then we can see what happens after that.
“Of course, one of the goals was to be in Europe after the winter break and it looks quite good for that. We want to go further and get better.”
Celtic must avoid defeat against Anderlecht at Parkhead on December 5, with the two set to battle it out for third. The Hoops’ next Champions League outing is against PSG on November 22.
However, Rodgers’ focus will be to Saturday’s Scottish Premiership encounter against St. Johnstone, as they look to secure three points with the chance to move four points clear of the chasing pack.
Lustig is likely to start this weekend, as the 30-year-old continues his excellent form which has seen him score twice and help the Hoops keep 11 clean sheets in his 21 appearances in all competitions.
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