This the day that we win away. Celtic fans, get ready to bin that awful song.

It’s not often I find myself agreeing with a writer at The Daily Record, but this will be the second time in two days. Keith Jackson got his call on the Ibrox boss spot on yesterday, and I think it’s fair to say that Michael Gannon was right last week when he said it’s time to put away that horrendous This Is The Day We Win Away song.

That tune just irritates me, and I doubt I’m alone in that. It’s a constant reminder of how bad our record is. The media never lets us forget it; now we’re trolling ourselves? Man oh man. It’s time to put this horrific record right.

Tonight’s game is massive—there’s no other way to put it. There are so many aspects to it: so much importance, so much significance. We need this win, not just to end our barren run away from home but also to guarantee our progression to the next round. There are coefficient points up for grabs, prize money to fight for, and, above all, the chance to finally end this miserable streak.

Over in Zagreb, they’re talking big about their chances.

A couple of their players sound very confident, which hardly seems like the attitude of a so-called team in crisis. That whole narrative is laughable and should be ignored by everyone. I’m sure nobody at Celtic is paying any attention to it. The only words from that club we need to take note of are from the players who seem convinced they’ll win.

Still … that song. God. I appreciate a bit of self-deprecating humour, but the truth is, our away record stinks. It’s a stick that’s been used to beat us time and time again, and it will continue to be until we sort it out. Tonight presents as good an opportunity as we’ve had in ages, and I’m both nervous and excited. In some ways, I’m glad the game kicks off early—I’ll have time to reflect on it afterward, and I suspect it will reveal a lot about where we are as a team.

The last away win in this tournament was Anderlecht, under Rodgers. That should be remembered. That’s an important fact to note.

In fact, the boss himself summed it up perfectly: the away win is the next step in our progression, and he’s 100% right. It’s maddening that we’ve failed to achieve it in recent years, but this time feels different. For the first time in a long while, we have a proper, well-balanced, fully fit squad going into one of these games, and that gives us every reason to feel confident.

That said, confidence means nothing if we go over there and let ourselves down.

There’s so much riding on this game. I feel more nervous about this match than I have for any in years—even more so than Sunday’s final. While there’s still a chance to secure the points we need at home against Young Boys, this feels like the moment to break the cycle.

This has to be the day we win away. Once we’ve done that, we’ll have everything we need to consign that dreadful song to the bin for good.

It would be such a relief to see it done tonight—to celebrate putting that tune, and this miserable record, behind us.