Chris Sutton reckons Celtic should be fired up to give Champions League heavy hitters "a bloody nose". Ange Postecoglou will lead his side into the group stage from September to be pitted against Europe's elite clubs.
Their position in Pot 4 of the draw means there's a high chance they will be grouped with some of the competition's biggest names when the sections are revealed in August. But while Sutton expects Celtic to take a more pragmatic approach against the very best, he believes Postecoglou will remain true to his attacking principles.
And he insists the overall aim should be give their illustrious opponents a real run for their money. Speaking to the Record Celtic podcast, Sutton said: "Performances are important. I think what Ange Postecoglou will be looking for is to give one or two teams a bloody nose this season. All he talks about is the process and performance and watching Celtic at the weekend dominate the ball, I think Postecoglou will want to do that.
"You mention last season, I don't think it's necessarily fair to judge Celtic as a team in Europe last season because it was all about the league. It was disappointing in Europe, you can't get away from that fact, and this season there will be people scrutinising saying 'can they compete?'.
"You saw what happened under Brendan Rodgers and his philosophy and going into Europe and getting absolutely smashed and walloped. I suspect there'll be games in Europe where Celtic will play with a bit more balance and maybe not so gung-ho as they are in domestic competitions.
"Postecoglou isn't daft and he'll realise the standard of teams they're up against but I think he'll have the same sort of principles of dominating the ball, being brave on the ball, and giving one or two a bloody nose.
"And I do think Celtic are capable of that but I still worry about Celtic defensively and their brand of football being exposed because when you go up a level the spaces you find are too big against the big teams and you get exploited, but I'm sure Postecoglou has a plan for that.
"Giving some teams a bloody nose is what Celtic will be looking to do and the first games in the Champions League are absolutely crucial. If they can get something from the opening couple of games, it'll offer some hope, whereas it was thoroughly depressing last time out in the Champions League."
