Celtic’s European adventure has been a success, no matter the outcome tonight.

I’m going to publish this piece an hour before kick-off, so I don’t know the full-time result. If you’re reading this after the fact, know that these thoughts are completely unencumbered by the outcome, the performance, or any other factor.

I just want to say, before the match starts tonight, that I’m very proud of what this team has achieved in Europe this season. No matter what happens over the next couple of hours, I’m more than content to call this a successful campaign.

And I don’t mean that in the way the club itself might—where just being here is deemed a success. It’s a success because of how we got here and the clear progress that’s been made. Whatever the result tonight, that progress is real and undeniable.

We’re up against a world-class, elite-level side, a team capable of beating anyone heavily when they’re on their game. If we get any kind of result tonight, it will be a stunning performance. But regardless, I’m proud of how this team has evolved and grown over the course of this European adventure.

As I said on the podcast the other night, it’s crucial that we build on this progress by keeping as much of this squad together as possible. This team has to continue evolving, and that can only happen if the players are given the opportunity to build on their existing understanding.

We already know that some things will be different next season. We know Tierney will be back at left-back. We know we’re going to have a new striker—or at least we assume so, and it seems a reasonable assumption based on how this season has gone. The board owes the manager proper backing, and we need to see that happen.

Next season’s group stages are unlikely to be as straightforward as these ones were—if we get there. But getting there is critical, if for no other reason than the financial rewards. The money on offer makes failure unacceptable. Any board that gambles with that pot of gold should be run out of town on a rail.

Looking at the calibre of teams we’re likely to meet in a qualifier, we should have no fear—if we are well-prepared. We should be confident of making the group stage again. There’s so much money up for grabs that failure is not an option. Let the Ibrox club worry about failure. Let them worry about the financial implications of non-qualification. If the stars align, they could go out of Europe altogether, forcing them to confront choices that no Ibrox club has faced since 2012. And we all know what happened that year.

If we secure that next Champions League bounty, we’ll be set for the next four or five years. We may even convince our elite-level manager to stick around for another couple of seasons. Success would be assured, but the real objective is further European growth.

Because, frankly, Rodgers has taken us as far as he can in domestic football. If we want to keep him, we have to show him that the club has ambitions beyond the immediate horizon of Scotland. I’m not saying he won’t enjoy continuing to dominate domestically, racking up doubles and trebles. But there’s a feeling that you could put almost anyone in this job and still have enough to see off the Ibrox club. That’s hard to shake. It’s also not true—which is another reason we need to keep Rodgers here.

But for a man like him, domestic football doesn’t provide a real challenge. He wants to test himself against the best, and he wants to see this team build towards that level.

That’s why this campaign has been successful. You can start from the last game and trace it all the way back—from the very credible performance at Celtic Park against Bayern, to the way we came back from two down against Villa, to the Young Boys result, through the group stage games: Zagreb away, Bruges at home, Atalanta away, RB Leipzig at home. And, of course, back to Dortmund and that chastening lesson—which, to the credit of Rodgers and this team, we took on board.

This has been a process of steady progress, of learning as we go. And if we can qualify for next year’s group stage with a squad as strong as this one—hopefully even stronger—we’ll be able to look ahead with real confidence.

Domestically, we stand on the brink of another treble. We’ve already overtaken their so-called trophy count, and we’re about to extend that lead. And next season, we’ll stretch it even further. All their claims, all their bombast, are now a millstone around their necks. We intend to keep adding to that weight until it drags them down into the dirt.

But we’re looking at much bigger horizons now. Europe is our future. And if, as many believe, a European Super League is coming—one that will be UEFA-sanctioned and legitimate—then we want a seat at that table. Our job over the next two or three years is to earn that seat.

We’ve already come a long way under Rodgers in this campaign. One more step tonight, and if we emerge from this game relatively unscathed, we can look to the future with pride and optimism. Then it’s up to those in charge of the club to show us what they’re really made of.

But regardless of the result tonight, mission accomplished. Celtic are back. Now, after this one, we dust ourselves off and prepare to go again next season.

I don’t know about you, but as much as I’m looking forward to the game tonight, I cannot wait for season 2025-26 and our next European adventure. And I’ll be honest—I expect big things from us.

Photo By Oscar J. Barroso/Europa Press via Getty Images

Our latest podcast episode is up. We called it Just Another Saturday.