Celtic striker Adam Idah is confident that the Hoops can hold their own against Europe’s top teams, insisting it is still “all to play for” as they prepare for next week’s UEFA Champions League play-off second leg against Bayern Munich.
Despite a 2-1 defeat at home to the German giants on Wednesday, Celtic remain in contention, thanks to Daizen Maeda’s crucial late goal that keeps the tie alive ahead of Tuesday’s clash at the Allianz Arena.
Bayern controlled much of the game, dominating possession and breaking the deadlock with goals either side of half-time from Michael Olise and England captain Harry Kane.
However, Celtic showed resilience, growing into the match as the game progressed and provided the Bundesliga side a glimpse of what they are all about.
Idah reflected on the challenging first-leg encounter, saying: “We knew it was going to be tough, they’re obviously a top team, one of the best in the world, but I thought we put up a good fight. We’re still in this tie and it’s a big one on Tuesday.
“I think it’s just having that confidence and belief going into these big games, that we can go toe-to-toe with the big teams. It’s just going out and actually doing it and proving it.
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“The last 15-20 minutes was really good and all the fans backed us. Everyone’s looking forward to Tuesday. We’re still in it and we’re looking forward to it.
"I think we’re a top team as well and we can prove to ourselves that we can play at that level. I think we’ve learnt a lot from the games previously, from the likes of the Dortmund game. You can’t switch off at any minute.
“You have to be on it all the time and that’s something we’ve learnt. I think you could tell that by the game on Wednesday night. Even though we didn’t probably have as much as the ball, it’s about the other side of the game, being defensive, staying compact. We’ve done that really well.
“From the Atalanta game, I think that was probably the first game we’ve had where we did have to sit back and be compact and not have as much of the ball.
“We took a lot from that game, understanding and realising that you won’t have a lot of the ball in these European games.”
When asked if these fixtures are career highlights, the Republic of Ireland international responded: "Yes, it'll be up there. It's one of the biggest stages in world football. It's a great opportunity for every single one of us to go out and improve ourselves.
"It's the biggest stage, everyone's watching so I'll be up there with one of the biggest games."
