THE hierarchy at Celtic Park opted for a significant upgrade this summer when they appointed Brendan Rodgers as Ronny Deila’s successor.
And one of – in not the – main reason for pushing the boat out to attract a manager of the Carnlough man’s calibre was to ensure a return to the top table of European football in the Champions League.
The Hoops failed to negotiate the tricky waters of the qualifying process during Deila’s two-year tenure at the club, with attendances and interest dwindling as a result. Yet, there is certainly a feelgood factor back at the club, and in Scottish football in general, at the start of this campaign.
The return of Rangers to the top flight, and the imminent return of Old Firm games, might have something to do with that, but the Celtic fans have renewed hope mainly because Rodgers is at the helm, and whatever the emotional pull the club had for him, he has not moved to Glasgow simply to kill time.
The former Liverpool manager has big ambitions for the club, and the scale of those ambitions will hinge on the ability of his team to get past Hapoel Be’er Sheva and into the Champions League proper for the first time in three years.
The powers that be in the east end of Glasgow are actively trying to bring in a few more new players before the transfer window closes at the end of August, and the quality of that player depends on the standard of football on offer.
We’ve all heard the rumours about Bastian Schweinsteiger agreeing to sign if the Bhoys reach the group stages, and while I seriously doubt that, there is no getting away from the fact that big European nights at Celtic Park are a significant draw.
Tonight’s play-off first leg might not look like one of those big nights on paper, with the opponents traditionally a lesser light in Israeli football, but it is a huge occasion and one the players will have to be right up for.
Celtic go in this evening as 4/6 jollies to win the game with Paddy Power, and 1/2 shots with the same firm to qualify over two legs. Yet they will have to raise their game to a higher level than anything they have achieved in a stop-start beginning to the season thus far.
Their progress to this stage has been far from smooth, with an away defeat to Lincoln Red Imps a low point, while a last-gasp Moussa Dembele penalty was required to avoid extra-time against Astana in the last round.
Having seen off perennial Champion League group stagers Olympiacos themselves, Hapoel have proved they are no mugs and have made significant strides in their year under young manager Barak Bachar. They have no real standout names, but former Chelsea youngster Ben Sahar and skipper Elyaniv Barda do carry a goal threat up front that could test Celtic’s as yet unsettled defence.
That said, in Leigh Griffiths, the improving Dembele and new recruit Scott Sinclair, Celtic carry players who can get at their opponents, and they turned in their best performance of the fledgling season so far in beating Motherwell 5-0 last week in the Betfred Cup.
I fully believe they can hurt a Hapoel side who managed to shut out Olympiacos over two legs but have yet to start their domestic league season and might still be a little undercooked.
Celtic are a decent bet just to win at 4/6, although there might be a bit more value in the 7/4 (Paddy Power) about them winning and Griffiths scoring. The home victory with both teams finding the net is also intriguing at 3/1 with William Hill, while it might be worth a small investment on the 3-1 correct score at 14/1 with Bet Victor.
That scoreline would set them well on their way to the promised land ahead of the return leg in Israel, and would allow Rodgers to press ahead in terms of setting up an ambitious signing or two.
By contrast, a Champions League group stage place was probably never on the agenda for League of Ireland kingpins Dundalk, but a fabulous summer now sees them just 180 minutes away from rubbing shoulders with the continent’s elite.
They take on Polish giants Legia Warsaw in their first leg at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin tonight, and Stephen Kenny’s men can play without any real pressure. A place in the Europa League is already assured, and the revenue from that, in addition to the money garnered so far, has put the club on a very strong footing for the future.
Dundalk are massive underdogs against the 11-time Polish champions, who are as short as 1/8 to qualify over the two legs.
And while they really should do that with the likes of key Poland internationals Michal Pazdan and Tomasz Jodlowiec in their ranks, the odds for tonight’s clash might just be a bit disrespectful of how good a side Dundalk are.
They saw off BATE Borisov with ease in the last round, and there is no way the Belarus champions would be as big as 31/10 at home to Legia. That may be a simplistic way of looking at things as Legia do deserve to be favourites and will have a loud following in Dublin, but the gap is not as big as the odds suggest, especially with Dundalk right in the heat of their season.
Warsaw have played five games in their domestic league, winning only one, so they haven’t found the form of last season and will get their fill of it.
Kenny has a proper goalscorer at his disposal in David McMillan (above) – an appealing 2/1 with Boylesports to score tonight – while Stephen O’Donnell is a leader at the back and Daryl Horgan and Patrick McEleney are very creative players.
There will be fans who take the 31/10 on offer with Bet Victor, although the 6/7 offered by 888sport about the Dundalk-draw double chance makes more appeal to me, while the 21/20 quoted by Boylesports about both teams scoring also looks slightly on the big side.
