Davie Hay: Alashkert at Parkhead is chance to see Celtic's fringe benefits

We all know that it is a piece of nonsense that there are so many hurdles for the Scottish champions to jump in order to get into the group stages but the bottom line is that you know it is there and you just have to get on with it.

Rather than moan about it, you have to look to get through it as professionally as possible and I think it is fair to say that Celtic’s performance in that first leg is a bit of a marker as to how they are approaching these games.

You can’t underestimate the importance they have to the club’s season; they underpin the entire campaign. What you would have to applaud is essentially the way in which Celtic, under Rodgers, appear to have utilised the experience of doing this every summer in order to be as prepared as they possibly can be.

Granted, the bar rises considerably as the rounds are negotiated. Having essentially done the hard shift over in Armenia this week then Celtic know there is little real tension in Wednesday night’s game.

That could possibly mean that there is a run out for one or two players or else it might be that Rodgers looks to get his strongest starting XI as fit as possible with one eye on the next round.

Getting into the group stages is harder and harder for clubs who don’t operate in one of the big leagues and this season will be a real challenge to get there.

But I don’t think you can underestimate the experience of the last couple of seasons and the manner in which Celtic have been able to negotiate games which are thick with tension. There is so much at stake which leads to an anxiety all round – there are times when you can sense it in the stadium – but they seem to have taken on board the mental fitness that is required to negotiate games of this ilk.

I know that Rosenborg got a bit of a fright this week but I’d fully expect them to come through that one next week. If that proves to be the case then they will be tough opponents over there as I think everyone would appreciate.

But the signs are that this is a settled and fit side. The players have returned to the club in good shape and these days that is something that you really need to do. There is no real time for spending weeks on getting into shape when these games come so quickly on top of you.

The fact that they have hit the ground running will help with confidence too and it has been interesting to see that Odsonne Edouard is looking to pick up where he left off. Having missed the last few weeks of the season he would have had a bit of catching up to do so it would have done him no harm at all to get himself on the scoresheet the other night.

Similarly, Lewis Morgan appears to have transitioned well. The winger will be well aware of the intensity in terms of competition for places but all early reports are that he made a decent impression so far at the club. He is another who will be keen on making a positive start and it could be that he is one who gets a chance to leave a wee marker this weekend as the club take on Standard Liege in a friendly game.

Readers who submit articles must agree to our terms of use. The content is the sole responsibility of the contributor and is unmoderated. But we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention. If you wish to complain about this article, contact us here