The games continue to come thick and fast for Celtic, and next up on the horizon is a UEFA Europa League clash with FC Utrecht on Thursday night. Following the 2-2 draw with Bologna last week, Martin O’Neill’s side know what is required this week against their Dutch opponents – a win will see Celtic progress to the play-off stage of the competition. But even though the Hoops will be favourites against a side which has only taken one point from their seven previous Europa League ties, and who are on a run of consecutive defeats across all competitions, the Celtic manager knows Thursday’s game is not a foregone conclusion. Speaking exclusively to Celtic TV this week, Martin O’Neill said: “Utrecht will be a difficult game on Thursday despite the fact that they’ve only got one point. They’ll come with nothing to play for, but that’s very dangerous in itself. “I’ve watched some videos of them and they’re very talented footballers. In many aspects it reminds me of a couple of games – the Feyenoord match and the Bologna game – fine, talented players who might have lost their way domestically and obviously not getting too many points in this competition, but they can definitely play.“So this will be difficult. We have to try and win that game because our only guarantee of getting through is to win, and that, of course, means more games for us, like everything else. “At this stage I’m not really wanting to prioritise anything. Let us go as strongly as we possibly can, let’s see if we can get a little bit of help in between now and transfer deadline day, and then take it on from there.” The Irishman is also looking forward to experiencing a European night at Celtic Park again, something he’s not done since a game against AC Milan back in December 2004. And he knows that the home crowd could be key to getting the right result against FC Utrecht. Speaking of those European nights at Paradise, he said: “They really are special and have been for a long time, and every manager who has managed this football club would feel exactly the same. “I’m looking forward to it obviously, but in terms of drawing the short straw, my time here in charge just recently has been the three away games – Midtjylland, Feyenoord and Bologna – so it will be nice to get home. “Of course, that guarantees absolutely nothing. The crowd will be great for us, and we will need it. “I know every manager says the same thing, but we definitely need it and it will be a great evening – it will be a special evening if we get through.” Manager’s full Celtic TV interview Reflections on Tynecastle clash Resilience of the players Challenge of FC Utrecht Importance of the fans Transfer window SUBSCRIBE TO CELTIC TVUpcoming FixturesCeltic Vs. FC Utrecht – Sun, Feb 2nd 2026, 15:00
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