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Martin O’Neill, reflecting on his team’s reshuffled lineup, acknowledged that their impressive Europa League farewell victory over Stuttgart has left him contemplating his squad choices for the upcoming match at Ibrox.
Despite facing a daunting 4-1 disadvantage from the initial encounter, Celtic managed to secure their first-ever win in Germany after 16 unsuccessful attempts, courtesy of Luke McCowan’s goal within the first 29 seconds.
O’Neill, who fielded only three players from the lineup that faced defeat against Hibs the previous Sunday, witnessed a standout performance from the midfielder, marking his finest outing in a Celtic shirt.
When questioned about the potential selection challenges for the weekend, O’Neill remarked, “Yes, it’s more of a selection decision than a headache.”
He continued, “I thought tonight was fantastic. We scored early, and naturally, we had some defending to do, which is always expected in such matches.”
Luke McCowan celebrates his early goal which gave Celtic a 1-0 win against Stuttgart
‘I want them to step up to the plate really at the end of it all.
‘We didn’t throw in two 16-year-olds or anything like that into the side. These boys have played in the team, and they’ve known what it is to actually win. They’ve actually won some matches during our time here.’
Finland international Sinisalo didn’t put a glove wrong as he shut out a free-scoring Stuttgart side.
‘I thought he played brilliantly in the game,’ added O’Neill. ‘Vil, I think that’s the name that we know him around the dressing room, he did really well.
‘He’s a young lad who’s got plenty of talent and that was nice. And today, we made some changes in the side, some enforced.
‘What’s Stuttgart’s capacity at, 50,000 or 60,000? Which is terrific. I just had a conversation there with Luke (McCowan), Ross (Doohan) and Sinisalo himself, who all played at Ayr at some stage or another in their careers. So, this was great tonight. Listen, I’ve been to Somerset Park as well, too, so I know what it’s about.
‘The point I’m trying to make is that the players have to rise to the occasion. And what an occasion to try and rise to. And they need to keep rising to the occasion.
Martin O’Neill congratulates skipper McGregor after club’s first win on German soil
‘There’s some massive games for us coming up.’
O’Neill bristled at suggestions that such an impressive victory only underscored how inconsistent the side have been throughout this season.
‘You are saying about a real Celtic,’ he told TNT Sports. ‘We’ve turned up quite a number of times in recent times.
‘For instance, if you just go back to Sunday (Hibs) we had the majority of the game.
‘If we hadn’t had a man sent off, we might have created a couple more chances maybe to have won the game.
‘I thought we played really well in the match overall. In the first game against Stuttgart, we let it run away from us and we gave away some soft goals.
‘But tonight, I think it was a brilliant backs-to-the-wall performance, but we still had chances in the game.
‘And you never know, had Seb (Tounekti) scored that one towards the end of the game, it might have been a nervy few minutes for what I consider a very, very good team, a team capable of winning this competition.’
Keeper Viljami Sinisalo has put his hand up for selection in Rangers game after a flawless performance
McCowan scores the winning goal, albeit Celtic still went out 4-2 on aggregate
Meanwhile, former Celtic director Lord Haughey has announced his intention to buy up to £10million worth of shares in the club to gift to fans.
Haughey announced on his Go Radio station an idea for a season ticket holders’ alliance that he believes would carry influence for supporters and restore harmony at the club.
The former Livingston co-owner, who spent three years on the Celtic board in the mid-1990s, said he was finalising plans that would see him pledge £2million for every 10,000 season ticket holders who sign up for free.
Haughey’s funding arrangement with Queen’s Park is set to end this summer.