Celtic prepare for Champions League return

A heavy downpour prior to kick-off could not dampen the spirits of an expectant Parkhead crowd - who were hell-bent on spurring their heroes on to the Champions League group stages tonight.

This time last season, the Scottish champions produced arguably one of their greatest European performances ever to knock Ajax out before embarking on a thrilling adventure.

Manager Martin O'Neill, his players and the Parkhead money-men are again desperate for another taste of the lucrative group stages and after being seeded for this final qualifier they were expected to make easy work of FC Basel over the two legs.

But the Swiss champions, under former Tottenham manager Christian Gross, were quietly confident of shocking Celtic on the back of some recent impressive performances.

But the Scottish Premier League leaders were also optimistic having thumped Aberdeen 4-0 at Pittodrie on Saturday and O'Neill had no hesitation in naming an unchanged side.