MOUSSA DEMBELE, Celtic’s derby day hat-trick hero, is now turning his sights on Barcelona as the Hoops get set to kick off their Champions League campaign on Tuesday.
With last season’s 40-goal man Leigh Griffiths set to miss the game in the Nou Camp through injury, the young French striker is likely to lead the attack against the Catalan giants.
Dembele, Brendan Rodgers’ first signing from Fulham in the summer, said: “If I was to start, then I’ll be ready, the way I am for every game.
“As a player, you have to be ready for any challenge and that’s what I have to do.
“When you come to a big club such as Celtic, you expect to play in big games and that’s what we did yesterday and what we’re going to do on Tuesday in Barcelona.
“I could have gone to other clubs, but, for me, I wasn’t thinking about the money, I was thinking about football first and getting as much experience as I can at a young age.
“Now I’m here and we’re playing in the Champions League, and for a 20-year-old it’s huge and it gives me more and more experience.
“And to be working with a manager such as Brendan Rodgers will bring me forward and help me progress very quickly.
“I came here to establish myself as a player. I’m still young and I have a lot to learn and to play with the players we have here and work with the manager, I will obviously learn a lot and progress, and that’s why I came here.
“We are going to Barcelona to give everything. When you start a game of football, even if it’s against the best team in the world, you have to go there and show what we can do and give everything to try and get a good result.”
