‘WE ARE EVEN BETTER NOW,’ ENGELS’ EURO PROMISE

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ARNE ENGELS hopes it will be another “really crazy night” under the lights in the east end of Glasgow when Celtic step onto the Champions League tightrope again tomorrow night.

And the club’s record £11million recruit has a chilling warning for Swiss opponents Young Boys who have lost all six of their qualifying encounters while shipping TWENTY-TWO goals and claiming a mere three.

Engels insists the Hoops will be ruthless and relentless as they were when they responded to going a goal down to pulverise Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig 3-1 at Parkhead in November.

EURO STARS…Arne Engels congratulates Nicolas Kuhn as the German winger celebrates one of his double in the 3-1 win over RB Leipzig at Parkhead in November.

It was an electrifying evening at the home of Scotland’s title kings as they came back from a Christophe Baumgartner header to lead at half-time with lightning strikes from Nicolas Kuhn while Reo Hatate pounced again to seal the points 18 minutes from time.

Celtic go in against the struggling Swiss in the knowledge a repeat performance and a similar scoreline will nudge them even closer to a top 24 place in the league phase which could be enough to see them advance to the play-offs with a game to spare.

They could travel to the Midlands to face Aston Villa a week tomorrow without the requirement of a victory against Unai Emery’s club.

Reflecting on the pulsating showing against Leipzig, Engels said: “I think it was maybe one of our best games.

“But it’s again Champions League and again we need to have that kind of level to be our best and to perform as we did then. We need to look forward. That’s in the past.

“We’ve improved as a squad, we’ve improved as players, so I think we are even better now and I think we can put on an even more complete game.

A CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIRST…Arne Engels celebrates his penalty-kick against Slovan Bratsilava in Celtic’s 5-1 opening-day win in September with Daizen Maeda about to join in. 

“We are really ready as a squad and we feel also in big games against good teams that we can do really well and that we can perform.

“So, of course, as a team I think we all feel that we belong to the knock-outs and we will do everything to go there. Hopefully, it will be a really crazy night.

“It’s always unbelievable to play at Celtic Park, especially at European nights. I’m really looking forward to that, feeling that again and the team is also really looking forward to it.”

Engels, speaking to the Daily Record, continued: “It’s the Champions League and every team has really a lot of qualities, otherwise they wouldn’t be in the competition.

“So, we need to be on top of our game and I think we are ready for it.

“As a team, we are focused on what we need to do and, as we have showed already, these weeks we can create a lot of chances and I hope we will do the same again.”

THE RACE IS ON…a determined Arne Engels in pursuit of a through ball in the goalless draw with Atalanta in Bergamo in October.

Smooth midfield operator Engels, 21, added: “Everybody is doing everything they can and the team is also doing everything they can.

“We are such a nice squad and we all want to improve as players and also as a squad together. Hopefully, we can reach really nice goals at the end of the season.

“But we need to just keep on looking to the next game and not really to the future.

“I have played a lot of big games already, but the Champions League is always a nice platform to play. Now it’s about reaching the next round and, hopefully, we are capable of doing that.”

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