Celtic hero Georgios Samaras warns Hoops to be on guard to end Champions League opening game hoodoo

Champions League opening night woe in full

2001/02 – Juventus 3-2 Celtic

2003/04 Bayern Munich 2-1 Celtic

2004/05 Celtic 1-3 Barcelona

2006/07 Man Utd 3-2 Celtic

2007/08 Shakhtar Donetsk 2-0 Celtic

2008/09 Celtic 0-0 Aalborg

2012/13 Celtic 0-0 Benfica

2012/14 AC Milan 2-0 Celtic

2016/17 Barcelona 7-0

2017/18 Celtic 0-5 PSG

2022/23 Celtic 0-3 Real Madrid

2023/24 Feyenoord 2-0 Celtic

While expecting the best, Celtics supporters were prepared for the worst. Maybe it was for the best that nobody knew what was going on at the redesigned Champions League draw.

However, Hoops supporters were pleasantly surprised when Cristiano Ronaldo pressed the big AI button and UEFA’s Skynet super computer generated the fixtures. optimistic even. When the Parkhead Chiefs revealed the rather affordable packages for the four home games, fans learnt they wouldn’t have to pawn off the family jewels in order to enter after all. There was another one on the way.

“I really believe in the team,” Samaras remarked, “but we need to see and understand the new Champions League format.” Although it has been explained to us, we still need to see it in action to fully understand how it operates. In my opinion, Celtic is and has been a strong team over the past few seasons, led by an excellent manager in Brendan Rodgers. However, I think we should wait and see a little bit. The schedule shows the games that are deemed to be simpler.

Eight games are available. You play both at home and away against teams that you are typically superior to. However, I believe that the new Champions League is a little bit complicated, so we must wait and see and be careful

Samaras is being cautious, but Celtics supporters are free to harbour fantasies. Success in the Champions League is long overdue, and it seems like Rodgers has assembled a team that is as good as they can get right now.

The most popular fan of the Hornets stated: “The fans are always excited, but in the end, it depends on the team’s performance and the players’ individual styles.” It all boils down to how well you perform on the pitch, whether you spend £1 million or £10 million on someone. The gaffer should incorporate that into the system and tactical elements. Alright, money spent is meaningless. Clubs have been known to spend outrageous amounts of money and engage in doing nothing. It is about bringing the right players in the right formation and tactics that the gaffer has. So let’s wait and see this season.”

While Samaras and the 2012–13 class created history, the big Greek believes that in the past ten years, football has undergone yet another transformation as the elite teams have cemented their dominance throughout the league. However, Celtic has returned to this harsh arena for a few seasons now, and the manager has additional experience from the previous campaign and his time at the team.

It’s all that Rodgers will require. The Irishman has his team playing brilliantly so far this season, and they will be hoping for even more of an explosive showing this weekend against Hearts to carry over into the Bratislava derby. “Brendan has participated in the Champions League before during his previous tenure at the club, so it is nothing new for him to do,” Samaras stated.

Comparing different eras—that is, what we did in the past and what they are doing now—is something I dislike doing. You cannot compare the two decades because the football is completely different. However, I firmly think that the boys and the manager can succeed in Europe. It’s the one you saw last year. Brendan is very clear about his style of play. The only thing that has changed recently is how the team and the club will replace Matt O’Riley’s goals and assists from midfield; otherwise, things are mostly the same for the rest of the squad. Although some players have left and some have returned, the team is stable.

Which should mean there is not any unpleasant surprises next week