“Celtic have been excellent in the Champions League – it’s why Rodgers returned,” Neil Lennon…

Former Celtic manager Neil Lennon has been considering his old club’s Champions League prospects with three games still to play in the new format of European football’s elite club competition.

Clearly impressed

And Lennon has clearly been impressed with what Brendan Rodgers and his squad have been able to accomplish in the competition so far, with two wins, two draws and a defeat to last year’s beaten finalists.

Speaking to BoyleSports, who offer the latest Celtic v Rangers odds, Lennon said: “Celtic have been excellent in the Champions League, of late, beating RB Leipzig and then getting a hard fought draw against Club Brugge.

Zagreb away is a difficult tie

“They have Zagreb away, which again is a difficult tie, but then Young Boys at home which you would like to think that they could win,” the former Celtic manager added.

“That win should be enough to finish in the middle group and that would be a brilliant achievement. The point in Atalanta after beating Slovan Bratislava, fantastic.

“Getting into the playoffs would be an outstanding return and something to build on in years to come, I think doing well in Europe was one of the reasons Rodgers came back and they have made inroads this season.

Celtic should fear no one in the Champions League knockout round

“Celtic should fear no one in the Champions League, the next step is to get into the playoffs and that would be a great achievement.

“Then it would be about embracing the challenge of whoever is next and back yourself to beat whoever you draw and seeing what happens.

“The excitement around it would be huge for Celtic and they know the fans will be there in force, they just need to get through and see what the draw brings,” Neil Lennon said.