Mission To Accomplish

Mikael Lustig states that after the derby victory, the Hoops now have another undertaking to take care of.

- Mark Henderson

CELTIC will be on a mission against Anderlecht tonight (Wednesday) to prove they belong on the big stage in European football, according to Mikael Lustig.

The Hoops were on the end of a heavy defeat in their opening UEFA Champions League group game to big-spending Paris Saint-Germain.

Losing at home in such a fashion was a sobering experience for Brendan Rodgers’ side, despite the calibre of the opposition which included the world’s most expensive player in Neymar.

While the classy Parisians turned on the style in Paradise, demonstrating why they are among the favourites to win the tournament, the Bhoys knew they could have performed better on the night.

And that has given Lustig and his team-mates even greater motivation to record a positive result when they take on the Belgian champions tonight in Brussels.

“We know it’s a massive game this midweek, especially when we weren’t satisfied with the game against PSG,” said the Swedish defender in an exclusive interview with the View.

“We want to be involved in Europe next year and hopefully we can go there and play some good football and grab some points.

“Anderlecht are obviously a good team and hopefully they are going to want to play football as well, so this is a time for us to show everyone and prove that we are a good European team.”