CONTINENTAL LIFT

Neil Lennon is looking forward to what will be an exciting Europa League group-stage campaign against some top-quality opposition

- PAUL CUDDIHY

FOR Neil Lennon, the most important game is always the next one, regardless of whether that is a Premiership match or a Europa League qualifier.

That approach of taking it one game at a time has proved to be successful for the Irishman and his team and will continue to be the approach for the rest of the 2020/21 season. Yet, there’s no doubt that last Thursday’s game against FK Sarajevo in Bosnia was a vital one for the team, and for the club, and the result a significant one for the campaign ahead.

The 1-0 win, courtesy of a 70th-minute Odsonne Edouard goal, booked Celtic’s place in the group stages of the UEFA Europa League. It represented the 10th successive season of European group-stage football for the Hoops, while Friday’s draw delivered another exciting group for the Scottish champions.

Celtic will face AC Milan, Sparta Prague and Lille in Group H, and after last season’s campaign, when Celtic topped their group ahead of Lazio, Rennes and CFR Cluj, Neil Lennon is confident that experience will help his side this time around.

“We’ve got so much to look forward to, and the group draw is fantastic,” the Celtic manager told the Celtic View. “It’s almost like a Champions League group with the quality of the teams that are in there, so it’s very exciting.

“It’s very similar to the group we had last season, with Rennes, Lazio and Cluj, so I think that experience of last season will stand us in good stead.

“Obviously we’re hoping we can get some supporters into the stadiums, if UEFA’s broadside is anything to go by, and that’s something we’ll peruse.