Celtic straight down to business
But, now that that day has dawned — or, rather, the two days which constitute the curtain-raising round of ties for the 2013/14 season — you can scratch any notions of a tentative warm-up where at least one of the participants is concerned. For Celtic, it’s in at the deep end and effectively one cup final after another, as they prepare for their opening game away to AC Milan in the San Siro tomorrow night.
Indeed, before the group draw even took place, Celtic had already given us one of the highlights of this Champions League campaign, in the form of their thrilling 3-2 aggregate win over Shakter Karagandy in the qualification play-off. Two down from the first leg, they clawed their way back to parity at Celtic Park and seemed set to prolong the agony for their supporters into extra time until, with the referee’s final whistle on route to his mouth, a terrific set-up by Anthony Stokes and an emphatic finish by James Forrest edged them across the border and into the promised land in the most dramatic fashion.
