Last night, following Celtic’s impressive result, there was a fair bit of chatter about how many points we might need to secure a spot in the qualifying rounds. The ever-reliable Scotland’s Coefficient on Twitter had their own theory, suggesting that winning just two of our remaining five games could be enough to see us through.
Now, if that turns out to be true, that we could qualify with 10 points, it would be fantastic. But I’ve been aiming higher from the start, believing we could get 15 points. After last night’s performance, I think 16 points is possible, maybe even more if we hit our stride.
It might sound ambitious, and it very well could be a tall order, but I believe our home fixtures are winnable. Zagreb away is no easy task, but I think it’s also a match we can win. Our next challenge is against RB Leipzig at Celtic Park, and securing a victory there would put us in a brilliant position. If we win that, then why not aim for 16 points? Leipzig at home looks like the toughest fixture on paper, but we have what it takes to get the result.
Brugge will be another tough one at home, but I believe we can beat them. If we can take three points from RB Leipzig then there’s no reason not to believe it. Beat the Germans and the confidence will be sky high. That leaves only the match against Young Boys to navigate. By full time there we could be sitting comfortably on that 16 points.
Let’s be honest, 10 points is definitely achievable, and I don’t even think that should be our minimum target. Anything less than 12 would be a huge disappointment.
The difference between scraping through with 10 points and cruising through with 16 isn’t entirely clear in terms of qualification, but we know that the higher we finish, the easier our path will be in the playoff game. If we just about make the top 24, we could face a much tougher qualifying tie than if we finish at the top end of the group.
Aiming high is the way forward.
We need to go all out for 16 points, or even more, depending on how the fixtures play out. By the time we head to Villa Park for the final group match, we could be in a position to wrap it up. We could already have a foot in the knockout stages, with qualification sorted before that game. This is why every match matters, and every home game becomes a must-win.
Now, I’m not saying we’ve suddenly become a side to fear across Europe.
But what this recent result has done is given us a solid reason to be optimistic. We can now think seriously about how many points we could gather, where we might end up in the group standings, and how easy or difficult our next challenge will be.
The key to all of this, as we’ve said from the start, is our home form. Win the games at Celtic Park, and we’re halfway there. But last night should have renewed our confidence about getting results on the road. Win in Zagreb with Young Boys up right after it and suddenly, we’re talking about finishing high up in the group and shooting the moon. There’s no question that this campaign will come down to how we perform in Glasgow … but suddenly it’s not all to aim for.
That’s why the next few matches—RB Leipzig, Brugge, and Zagreb away—are pivotal. If we can navigate those, we head into the final home tie against Young Boys knowing exactly what’s required. Ideally, we want to go to Villa Park with everything sorted, but even if we don’t, having 13 or 14, or even that magic 16 points by then will mean we’re in a strong position.
Sure, 10 points might get us over the line, but why settle for that? Let’s push for more.
Twelve points should be the absolute minimum target now. That’s just three more wins, and from there, we can dream of bigger things. If we don’t go through with 12 points or more, it would be more than a major disappointment; it was be the kind of bad luck only Celtic can get.
We shouldn’t be thinking about targets, same as on domestic duty, the next game is the all important one and we tackle them all one at a time. Que sera, sera, we will see how it all pans out in due course, so let’s just live for the moment.
James
Had To register again on your site……..maybe other posters had same issue?
Anyway great article and for me last night Trusty became a Celtic player , outstanding from the big yank…..
HH
One game at a time.
I think Leipzig is a tough tough game. On the same level as Dortmund & Atalanta even though we are at home. The last time we played them, we were outclassed. Although they don’t have the same players like Nkunku this time they are still an immensely dangerous team but I think Dortmund has forced us into a reality of we have to treat these teams with respect & to a degree adjust our approach to negate them & not just assume we will be able to play our game.
I still agree though that 12 points should be the minimum. I think Zagreb away is a winnable fixture but just as easily not.
We have had a favourable draw but none of these games bar the first & young boys you could even remotely class as a “gimme”
Even though it’s a rigged tournament I really enjoy this new format…
I think we can definitely get a play off place –
I didn’t like these groups of six that kept the ‘big’ teams apart by seeding (Fixing in my opinion) !