‘CAN WE BEAT BARCA? YES WE CAN!’ LUSTIG LOOKING FOR MORE GLORY

MIKAEL LUSTIG is confident Celtic can overturn Barcelona when they arrive at Parkhead for the Champions League encounter later this month.

The versatile Swedish international defender believes the Hoops can stage an action replay of their famous victory over the Catalans giants – just as they did four years ago.

Lionel Messi was unstoppable when the team met at the Nou Camp in Matchday One of the group and Brendan Rodgers’ side toppled 7-0, their worst-ever result in European competition.

It was a similar scenario when Lustig was part of Neil Lennon’s side that stunned Barca in Glasgow for a memorable 2-1 victory with Victor Wanyama and Tony Watt getting the goals before Messi’s stoppage-time consolation effort.

He recalled: “Nobody expected us to beat Barcelona and we did it, so that must give us confidence.

“We also got a good result against Manchester City and we have shown that, in front of a full house at Celtic Park, we can be a match for anybody.

“I played in the last game where we beat Barcelona and it is going to be tough, but Celtic have shown against them that anything can happen.

“When we beat them at home it wasn’t our best performance, but it was a brilliant result.

“If we can keep to our gameplan and take a chance or two then you never know.

“Defensively we know we will be up against it with the likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar.

“They showed in Barcelona in the last game how good they are and we know we have to be better than we were out there.

“That is the challenge not only for the defenders but the entire team.”

If Champions League progression emerges as a broken dream, Rodgers’s team still have a chance to make the Europe League after Christmas.

Lustig added: “It is going to be very difficult, we know that. We are going to have to play Barcelona and Manchester City and it is more than likely that our best hope will be the Europa League.

“We know just to get there we need to win at least one of our last two games.

“It has happened before where we have got through into the Europa League, but that is for the coming weeks.

“We can be happy with the point from Germany and now we can concentrate on the league games before we play Barcelona.”