Tom Boyd comments on Celtic’s European campaign

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Celtic are favourites to pip Anderlecht to a Europa League berth.

Celtic legend Tom Boyd has told The Scottish Sun that it would be “phenomenal” if the Hoops were still in European competition beyond Christmas.

Brendan Rodgers’s side are gearing up for an ominous Champions League clash away to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, after losing the first fixture 5-0 at Celtic Park back in September.

The big-spending Ligue 1 outfit are yet to even concede a goal in the Champions League this season, scoring 17, and few would be surprised to see a repeat of what happened at Parkhead.

The Hoops are third in Group B, three points ahead of Anderlecht in the Europa League spot and the Scottish giants are expected to progress into Europe’s secondary competition come February.

Anderlecht host second-placed Bayern Munich, who have Jupp Heynckes back in charge, and a probable defeat for Celtic and the Belgian side tomorrow will mean that a point against them in Glasgow on matchday six would ensure their Europa League qualification.

Rodgers’s side beat Anderlecht 3-0 in the previous fixture and Boyd, who spent 11 years at the club, is confident that his former side will still be a European team beyond the festive period.

“For Celtic to be in Europe after Christmas would be phenomenal,” he told The Scottish Sun.

“It does look likely as long as Anderlecht don’t take anything against Bayern and even then, on the evidence of what we’ve seen and our game in Belgium, I don’t think they’ve improved drastically in terms of them having to beat us 4-0. That’s not going to happen.

“We want to see Scottish clubs in Europe. It will be interesting. The players will have a lot of games but that’s exactly where you want to be, having big games week-in, week-out.

“Europe after Christmas is progress for Celtic. Of course it is. We didn’t manage that last year and when you consider the group we are in, third place was probably always the realistic aim.”