‘TOUGH TIES AHEAD,’ GARY MACKAY-STEVEN

GARY MACKAY-STEVEN reckons Celtic will have to scrap all the way against Malmo to reach the money-spinning Champions League group stages.

The winger said: “I’m happy with the draw, but it’s going to be tough. There are no easy games at this stage, but it’s not too far a journey away and we have a Swedish player in the team, Mikael Lustig, so he’ll give us the lowdown on them.

“You don’t want to travel too far for these types of games as it takes its toll, so it’s not too far away, but we know it’s going to be very difficult.

“We’re confident in ourselves and it’s still early on in the season, but the way the manager wants us to play and train is coming together.

“We’re showing signs of improvement each day, so come the games we’ll be more prepared and ready.”

Boss  Ronny Deila said: “Malmo will be as strong as Qarabag, who were a good team and very technical.

“Malmo won the Swedish league last year and it’s a tough league, so they definitely have their strengths and we’ll need to do our homework on them.

“There is a big belief. It’s games home and away and we need to give everything we’ve got. The group stages is where we want to be and it is one of our main goals this season.

“We’re very close, but there’s a lot of hard work to be done before that and we need to make sure we give the best account of ourselves and give everything we’ve got in the games.

“It’s a big goal of mine this season and the fact that now we’re two games away, it’s very exciting.

“Hopefully, we can make that happen, but that will only happen if we play the best we can.”

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MEANWHILE,  still time to get THE Wee Green Book, or the 2015/16 Official Celtic Guide to give its Sunday name, is back on the shelves and it’s the perfect pocket-sized companion for Celtic supporters.With the competitive season now officially underway for the Bhoys, the Wee Green Book is packed with everything you want to know about the Champions and their opponents for the campaign ahead.

It’s also a great resource to for settling those football-related debates either at the game or in your local.

The Wee Green Book includes:

– Message from Ronny Deila
– Celtic Foundation profile
– Fixtures
– Profiles of our SPFL opponents
– Profiles of each of the Celtic first-team squad
– Season 2014/15 league and League Cup-winning review
– Celtic History Timeline
– Celtic’s league positions season by season
– Celtic’s record against every single team we’ve played in the league
– Celtic’s Scottish Cup final-winning teams
– Celtic’s record against every single team we’ve played in the Scottish Cup
– Celtic’s League Cup final-winning teams
– Celtic’s record against every single team we’ve played in the League Cup
– Celtic’s record against every single team we’ve played in Europe
– European results season by season
– Profile of every Celtic manager
– Youth Academy profile
– Development Squad profile
– Celtic Stats – Top scorers etc
– Appearances and goals of every single player that has ever played for the Celtic first team

It’s the ultimate Celtic reference guide with everything about the club packed into its pages, all for the amazing price of only £4 plus P&P.

You can order directly from CQN HERE.