2017-11-22: Paris St Germain 7-1 Celtic, European Cup

Trivia

• Champions League 2017-18, Group Stages
• Matchday 5
• Celtic draw Group B – Bayern Munich, Paris St Germain, Anderlecht
  Celtic are already out of the Champions League, as Bayern & PSG are both uncatchable now with their points tallies and head-to-head records v Celtic.
• Celtic can still qualify for Europa League.
• Record victory for PSG at home. PSG have now broken Champs Lge record with number of goals scored in the group stage and there is still a game to go.
• Celtic scored the first goal that PSG have conceded in this group stage, itself a big achievement.
• Of the 8 goals scored in this game, only one was by a PSG youth team graduate, and that was Dembele (who is playing with the Celtic side).
• Celtic remain third in the group with Bayern beating Anderlecht 2-1.
• Good reports on the Celtic support
• Moussa Dembele has been nominated for the French Young Player of the Year award for 2017.
• The first match for Brendan Rodgers (since Red Imps) where the bulk of the support is actually critical of the manager. A lot of criticism for his formation, with many pinning his philosophy as responsible for the hefty defeat.
• Rodgers reiterates he will not dilute his attacking philosophy ideal. Some though calling for a review of his ideas. Defensively has been found out on occasions in Europe, but everyone is still very much behind him.

Review

(BMH of KDS)
Would have liked to have seen a better defensive performance and made them work harder for some of the goals

They are good but by phukk I can’t stand PSG

So many dummies spat out tonight – you’re either able to compete already at the highest level or you can eff off acc to some on here

Were not and never will compete with this

The CL is a rigged club for the super rich to stay rich – given seeded groups to floof about with – our business this year is with Anderlecht

Bring it on I say

We’ve bounced back from this shampoo before and we’ll need to do it again

Teams

Articles

• Match Report (see end of page below)

Pictures

• Match Pictures

Forum

• Pre-match
• Match
• Post Match

MOTM

• Voting Thread
• Result Thread
• Winner –

Stats

PSG
Celtic

Possession
Home63%
Away37%

Shots
Home24
Away7

Shots on Target
Home11
Away1

Corners
Home5
Away2

Fouls
Home9
Away7

Articles

Paris St-Germain 7-1 Celtic: PSG run riot as gap in quality shows
Leigh Griffiths congratulates Neymar after the match. Picture: Getty Images

Stephen Halliday

Published: 22:10 Wednesday 22 November 2017
In the City of Light, Celtic were again confronted by the gloomy reality of the chasm in quality which separates them from the new elite of European football.
Paris Saint-Germain 7 (Neymar 9, 22; Cavani 28, 79 Mbappe 35, Verratti 75, Alves 80)

Scott Brown cuts a dejected figure at the full time whistle. Picture: Getty Images
Celtic 1 (Dembele 1)
The Scottish champions were mercilessly filleted for the second time by a magnificent Paris Saint-Germain side who followed up their 5-0 win in Glasgow earlier this season with an even more compelling and deadly display on their own patch.
Inspired by the brilliance of Brazilian superstar Neymar, whose double took his personal tally against Celtic to seven goals in five matches, PSG responded in scintillating fashion to the shock concession of a first minute goal from Moussa Dembele.
Dembele’s goal may have given the 2000-strong Celtic support inside the Parc des Princes a moment to cherish, however briefly, but it simply had the effect of stirring up a hornet’s nest as PSG responded by swarming relentlessly over the visitors during a breathlessly captivating first half.

Moussa Dembele grabbed a surprise opener after just 56 seconds but his and Celtic's joy was short-lived. Picture: AP
Just as they did in Glasgow, PSG’s £400 million front three of Neymar, Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe all scored before half-time. Celtic simply had no answer and by the end of the evening were fortunate only to ship seven goals.
Participation in the Champions League provides Celtic with a record financial turnover but they have found themselves out of their depth on the pitch. The Europa League still beckons, however, if they can hold off Anderlecht in the final match of this campaign on 5 December to secure third place in Group B.
Celtic were entitled to take satisfaction from much of their early play here, producing several moments of progressive and slick attacking work after their stunning early opener. But when forced onto the back foot, as they were regularly, they could not cope with the electrifying skill and dynamism of the French champions.
Most consolation goals are scored in the dying embers of a match but Celtic’s crumb of comfort here came with barely 60 seconds on the clock. They were gifted a corner by an inexplicably slack piece of play from Dani Alves, the Brazilian full-back shanking the ball out of play while under absolutely no pressure.

Brendan Rodgers salutes the travelling Celtic fans after the 7-1 thrashing in Paris. Picture: Getty Images
Celtic took full advantage, catching the PSG defence cold with a clever set piece straight from their Lennoxtown training ground. Olivier Ntcham took the corner from the right, picking out the unmarked Dembele on the edge of the penalty area. The striker’s right foot shot was hit with decent power, although PSG ‘keeper Alphonse Areola would feel he should have kept it out, getting his hands to the ball but merely helping it on its way into the net.
The home side appeared stunned for a few minutes, perhaps unsurprisingly given the level of dominance they are accustomed to enjoying from first minute to last in most matches. Celtic, buoyed their early success, knocked the ball around with composure and confidence.
But it did not take too long for PSG to find their rhythm in devastating fashion. Their ninth minute equaliser saw the outstanding Adrien Rabiot pounce on a loose pass from Celtic captain Scott Brown and find Neymar on the left of the penalty area from where the £198 million man guided a low shot across Craig Gordon into the opposite corner of the net.
As if they didn’t have enough to contend with already, Celtic were forced into a change just four minutes later when Mikael Lustig’s evening was cut short by injury. He was replaced by Nir Bitton, giving the Israeli midfielder the unenviable task of filling in at right-back where he was up against Neymar.

Jozo Simunovic resorts to desperate measures in a bid to halt the progress of Kylian Mbappe. Picture: Getty Images
To their credit, Celtic continued to carry a threat on the counter-attack and Dembele and Ntcham both came reasonably close with attempts from distance as they both sought to make a positive impression on their return to their home city.
But PSG had now well and truly found the fluency in possession which makes them such a potent force and they sliced open the Celtic defence to take the lead in the 22nd minute. Neymar combined sublimely with Marco Verratti to create the opportunity, the little magician producing another unerring left foot finish beyond Gordon.
Six minutes later, it was 3-1 as Celtic found themselves staring down the barrel of another heavy defeat in this tournament. Neymar turned provider this time, nodding the ball back across the six yard box to provide Cavani with a simple close range finish for what was his 150th goal for PSG.
It was a daunting occasion for Jozo Simunovic to make his return at the heart of Celtic’s back four after a two-month injury absence. The big Bosnian was booked for a foul on Mbappe in the 35th minute, conceding the free-kick which led to PSG’s fourth goal. Celtic were unable to clear Julian Draxler’s set piece and Marquinhos knocked the ball into the path of the unmarked Mbappe whose right foot shot went through Gordon’s hands and in off the inside of a post.
Gordon was more convincing when he denied Mbappe with a sharp save four minutes before the interval and this was now every inch a damage limitation exercise for Celtic.
Initially, there seemed to be a drop in the intensity of PSG’s play after the break, perhaps with their weekend assignment against domestic league title rivals Monaco in mind. But any hopes among the Celtic fans that they would get off more lightly in the second half were dashed by the late blitz of goals which left Gordon and his defence shell-shocked.
Before then, Dembele passed up a decent chance to reduce the deficit when he was picked out by Brown’s excellent cross from the right but the striker took too much time on the ball before dragging his shot wide of Areola’s right hand post.
The closing quarter of an hour was tortuous for Celtic. Verratti stoked PSG’s attacking fire back into life when he drilled home a right foot shot to make it 5-1 in the 75th minute. Four minutes later, number six arrived when Cavani latched onto Layvin Kurzawa’s cross and beat Gordon via the inside of his right hand post.
There was suddenly an air of capitulation about Celtic as Alves got in on the act to smash home the seventh with still 10 minutes remaining before the visitors could be put out of their misery.
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN: Areola, Alves, Marquinhos, Silva, Kurzawa; Verratti (Lo Celso 76), Rabiot, Draxler (Pastore 66); Mbappe (Di Maria 76), Cavani, Neymar. Subs not used: Trapp, Kimpembe, Meunier, Berchiche.
CELTIC: Gordon, Lustig (Bitton 13), Boyata, Simunovic, Tierney; Brown, Ntcham (Eboue 69); Forrest, Rogic, McGregor; Dembele (Griffiths 77). Subs not used: De Vries, Roberts, Sinclair, Armstrong.
REFEREE: T. Sidiropoulos (Greece)
What the French newspapers are saying about PSG 7-1 Celtic
Brendan Rodgers applauds the travelling support after the Group B match between Paris Saint-Germain and Celtic at the Parc des Princes in Paris. Picture: Getty Images

Patrick McPartlin

Published: 15:51 Thursday 23 November 2017
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After a night to forget for Celtic in Paris, here’s a quick round-up of what the French newspapers are saying…
Rodolphe Ryo, of L’Express, wrote: “Even if Celtic are far from being a strong European side, the attacking potential of PSG is quite impressive.”
• READ MORE – Five things we learned from Paris Saint-Germain 7-1 Celtic
He added: “Moussa Dembele was one of the few highlights for Celtic tonight.
“The [PSG fans] are enjoying this evening. It’s not the same as the atmosphere in Celtic Park and ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ but it’s not bad.”
Ryo also pointed out that there were ‘far too many spaces in the Celtic defence’ time after time.
The report in Ouest-France stated: “Some might say it was ‘only’ Celtic who PSG were up against, but the Scottish champions drew against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and Borussia Monchengladbach in the Champions League last year.”
FranceFootball carried quotes from Moussa Dembele, who said: “In the first 20 minutes we were in the match and then we let them go. We must learn from our mistakes.”
At the time of writing, 17432 people had voted in L’Equipe’s ‘most disappointing Celtic player’ poll; Craig Gordon topping the list with 28 per cent.
• READ MORE – Why Celtic’s centre back problem has been massively overblown
In second place was ‘other’ with 17 per cent and Callum McGregor was voted the third most disappointing Celtic player with 14 per cent.
Mikael Lustig, who was forced off with an injury after just 13 minutes, was rated a bigger disappointment than Scott Brown, Jozo Simunovic and Dedryck Boyata, all of whom played the full 90 minutes.
L’Equipe’s player ratings also made for grim reading for the Celtic players, with Boyata given a scathing 1/10 as the paper awarded an average of just 2.3 for the Celtic team.
Dembele, Kieran Tierney, Tom Rogic and Olivier Ntcham were the only Celtic players to score a rating of 3.
Christophe Remise of Le Figaro suggested that PSG had been ‘unstoppable… too strong for a Scottish team that clearly isn’t on the same level.’
L’internaute’s report read: “Moussa Dembélé was the best Celtic player tonight at the Parc des Princes, playing for the first time against his former club PSG.”
The paper also quoted Dembele as saying: “It was a difficult match against high quality players. When we play against teams like that, if we give them an opportunity, it’s a goal, and that’s what happened today.”
Le Point’s live blog praised the efforts of Olivier Ntcham – ‘very good tonight despite the result’ while 20Minutes welcomed the inclusion of former PSG starlet Moussa Dembele in the starting XI, saying: “We are delighted to see Dembele [starting] in attack. Perhaps he could play for PSG, who knows, maybe it will happen some day?”

Craig Gordon says seven-goal beating was down to quality of PSG
Celtic goalkeeper Craig Gordon leaves the Parc Des Princes pitch after shipping seven goals to PSG. Picture: Craig Williamson/SNS

Stephen Halliday

Published: 06:00 Friday 24 November 2017
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For Brendan Rodgers, principles come with a cost which he remains happy to pay as Celtic manager.
The debate over whether he should adopt a less expansive approach when his team mix with Europe’s super powers has become futile. He has made it abundantly clear he won’t, regardless of how many crushing defeats the Scottish champions suffer while trying to impose their style of play against the continental elite.
Celtic have now conceded 33 goals in the 11 Champions League group stage fixtures they have played under Rodgers, a sequence now bookended by the 7-0 loss in Barcelona at the start of last season and Wednesday night’s 7-1 pasting at the hands of a rampant Paris Saint-Germain.
Results which would once have caused outrage and fury among supporters are now largely greeted with a collective shrug of the shoulders. There is a general acceptance of their place in the grander scheme of things when they step outside of the domestic environment they are dominating as never before.
While Dorus de Vries experienced the pain of retrieving the ball from his net seven times at the Nou Camp last year, it was Craig Gordon who bore the brunt of PSG’s attacking brilliance this time around.
The 34-year-old Scotland goalkeeper is never found wanting when it comes to making a defence of his own abilities and he firmly rejects any notion of culpability for the goals which flew past him in the Parc des Princes.
Gordon is equally dismissive of suggestions there are times, like Wednesday night, when Rodgers and Celtic would be better served by performing in a more pragmatic fashion.
“We could just kick it long to them and the ball would still come back at us,” said Gordon. “That’s the debate, yes, should we still play it out from the back against these teams. But you don’t have any of the ball if you do just kick it long, you just try to limit the damage from the start. So you can sit there and just wait to get beat, or you can try to make a game of it.
“That’s always our way, we want to try to play. We gave away a few goals we weren’t happy with but some of them were just ridiculous quality from PSG. There were a few when we gave the ball away and players of that quality will hurt you.
“They had an incredible night. Everything they seemed to hit was going in off the post. The finishing was just brilliant. It’s hard to take at times. Every good chance they make, they are clinical. They made us pay and that shows the quality they have.
“We had a couple of chances ourselves – we took one but we weren’t as clinical in that final third as them.
“I don’t think there was much I could do about any of the goals. I was up against tremendous quality. They are an expensive front three – Neymar, Cavani and Mbappe – and when they get chances, they take them more often than not.
“I could go through all of the goals. But I could walk out of the stadium with my head held high. I had a few decent saves in the game. I’d like to have had more but the quality of the finishing was so good that I wasn’t able to do that.”
Celtic can certainly consider they found themselves in the toughest possible Champions League group this season. Both themselves and Anderlecht have conceded 17 goals so far as PSG and Bayern Munich have cruised into the last 16.
No teams in any of the other seven groups have conceded as many.
“That’s the quality PSG possess,” added Gordon. “They hardly missed the target all night. You have to hope they have an off night and don’t perform like that. When they do, they are capable of doing that in the rest of this competition to a few more teams.”
It was Gordon’s heaviest beating since he was also on the receiving end of a 7-1 defeat while playing for Sunderland against Everton back in 2008, a result which saw him dropped by then manager Roy Keane.
“It’s not enjoyable,” he admitted. “But you have to accept PSG are probably the best team in Europe at this time. We want to challenge ourselves against these teams and, on any given night, we can. Wednesday wasn’t that night. They were just too good.
“There were parts of the game when we actually did quite well, we made some good moves and passed the ball well. We made a few mistakes but we kept trying to play, so the manager will definitely find some positives from that. We just came up against a team who finished their chances so well.
“I will watch it back, like I do every game. There are always things you can improve on. I’ll look at it with my goalkeeping coach Stevie Woods but I don’t think we’ll have too many talking points, to be honest.
“That sometimes happens to a goalkeeper. You can go through a game not making many saves and losing a few goals if the finishing is of that standard. That’s the life of a goalkeeper. You have to accept it and move on to the next game.
“I’ve lost seven before in my career, so it’s not the first time. I certainly didn’t want it to be any more than that and I probably had my best save of the night at 7-1, down to my left hand side. It stopped it getting to eight, which would have been even worse.”
Compensation for Celtic came in the shape of Anderlecht losing 2-1 to Bayern Munich, a result which leaves Rodgers’ side three points ahead of the Belgian champions in pursuit of third place in the group and qualification for the last 32 of the Europa League. The teams meet in Glasgow on 5 December when a draw, or even a defeat of less than 3-0, will suffice for Celtic.
“We will try and win the game,” said Gordon. “It’s at home and we know what we have to do. We want to win the game in its own right and put in a performance, like we did in the last home game against Bayern. If we can do that, we can give ourselves every opportunity to win the game.
“There are still going to be some excellent teams in the Europa League. But if we can put ourselves in the position to still be in Europe next year, then it’s probably a job well done coming out of this Champions League group.”
Before then, Celtic will hope to have the first piece of domestic silverware of the season wrapped up in green and white ribbons when they face Motherwell in the Betfred Cup Final at Hampden on Sunday. Gordon is confident the PSG mauling will have no detrimental effect on their preparations or mindset.
“No, not at all,” he said. “If anything, that will be a positive – going into a cup final. There is no point in going over the PSG game too much. We will have a few days recovery, get back into training and organise ourselves. We will be ready for Sunday. I don’t think it will have a bearing either way. It’s a different game, it’s a cup final and one we want to win. I don’t think anyone will be thinking of what happened in Paris when we walk out at Hampden.”

Moussa Dembele refuses to enjoy goal after PSG hammering
Moussa Dembele, left, battles with Marquinhos. Picture: Getty

ANGUS WRIGHT

Published: 07:27 Thursday 23 November 2017
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Striker Moussa Dembele said he got no satisfaction from his goal after Celtic were thrashed 7-1 by Paris St Germain in the Champions League.
READ MORE – Paris St-Germain 7-1 Celtic: How the Celtic players rated
Dembele gave Celtic an early lead but two goals each from Neymar and Edinson Cavani, plus further strikes by Kylian Mbappe, Marco Verratti and Dani Alves left the visitors looking to clinch a Europa league spot in their final game at home to Anderlecht on December 5.
Asked if he drew any satisfaction from opening the scoring, Dembele told BT Sport 3: “Not really. When I’m on the pitch I try to score. I scored today but we lost the game. It’s all about the team, it’s all about the club and we lost the game today.”
Dembele said Celtic had tried to take the game to PSG.
“We came here and we tried to play. When you play against this type of player it is hard to get something out of the game.”
Celtic captain Scott Brown admitted his side had contributed to their own downfall.
He said: “The first three goals were maybe a bit too sloppy. They’ve scored some wonderful goals as well and they’ve got some top-class players.
“In the first 20 minutes we have not done too bad but after that we’ve lost a little bit of shape and lost a little bit of focus due to the loss of a couple of goals.”
Brown said Celtic, who were beaten 5-0 at home by PSG, knew the enormity of the task they faced.
“It’s always going to happen against top-quality players, they’re going to create chances. You need a little bit of luck coming here but take nothing away from them they played really well.”
Brown said Celtic would look to ensure they remained in European competition with a positive result at home to Anderlecht.
He added: “I think we need to try and build on this. We’ve got one game left to try to push for Europa football now. We’ll bounce back, that’s not a problem.”
READ MORE – Five things we learned from Paris Saint-Germain 7-1 Celtic

BBC

By Jane Lewis

BBC Scotland at Parc des Princes

From the section European Football 614

Celtic goalkeeper Craig Gordon
Celtic goalkeeper Craig Gordon endured a miserable evening in the Parc de Princes

Celtic were swept aside by rampant Paris St-Germain, who hit seven in the Champions League at Parc de Princes.

Brendan Rodgers' side opened the scoring in the first minute through Moussa Dembele, but were then swamped.

Neymar scored twice, then created the third for Edinson Cavani, before Kylian Mbappe struck before half-time.

Marco Verratti, Cavani and Dani Alves scored in a five-minute second-half blitz as Rodgers' Celtic side conceded seven goals for the second time.

Who is through and who has worked to do?
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The victory was PSG's biggest win in the Champions League, and a chastening night for the visitors, who lost 5-0 to the French side at home earlier in the group.

However the Scottish champions still have the advantage in the fight to finish third in Group B and qualify for the Europa League after bottom-placed Anderlecht lost their fifth game in a row, this time 2-1 to Bayern Munich.

PSG have scored 24 goals in their five matches – a Champions League group stage record, with one game still to play.
PSG striker Neymar celebrates
Paris St-Germain have now scored more goals in a single Champions League group campaign than any other side

The Parc des Princes was a blaze of colour before kick off, with the home fans especially noisy and no doubt confident of what their team would produce, given PSG were yet to concede a goal in their previous four group games.

However the match was less than a minute old when Celtic spoiled that particular record.

Alves' poor backpass resulted in a corner for Celtic, and the visitors took full advantage when Olivier Ntcham played a low ball to Dembele at the edge of the area, and the striker clipped a shot over PSG goalkeeper Alphonse Areola.

It was a moment for the travelling fans to savour, but PSG were soon back on level terms.
Celtic striker Moussa Dembele
Celtic striker Moussa Dembele scored the opening goal against the club at which he trained as a youth

Adrien Rabiot showed his class in midfield, intercepting Scott Brown's wayward pass then shrugging off the Celtic captain before sending Neymar surging into the Celtic penalty area.

The world's most expensive player showed his worth and his pace as he beat Craig Gordon in the Celtic goal with a low shot.

As the French side moved up through the gears, Celtic's cause wasn't helped when they lost defender Mikael Lustig through injury after 12 minutes, the Swede being replaced by midfielder Nir Bitton.

PSG's talent was now buzzing and after Neymar's neat one-two with Verratti on the edge of the box, the Brazil striker finished brilliantly.

Celtic were not coping well with the waves of PSG attacks and it felt only a matter of time before the third followed.

Cavani duly took advantage of poor Celtic defending and fired in his 20th of the season, after Neymar turned the ball across the face of goal with his upper body.
PSG striker Edinson Cavani
PSG striker Edinson Cavani finished crisply for the third after Neymar turned the ball back across goal

Half an hour had not yet past and sublime PSG had already found the net three times.

Further punishment followed more slack Celtic defending as half-time approached. A free-kick wasn't cleared, and Mbappe was left unmarked to beat Gordon with a firm finish back across the goalkeeper.

Celtic minds were scrambled but half-time offered the chance to regain their senses, and early in the second half, Dembele even had a sniff of a chance when fed cleverly by Brown.

Celtic's enterprise was short-lived, though, as PSG continued their assault.
Celtic goalkeeper Craig Gordon
Dani Alves' unerring shot completed the scoring for PSG

Verratti slammed the ball past Gordon from the edge of the area and then Cavani added his second of the night four minutes later with a stunning volley after a wonderful Javier Pastore cross.

Celtic's pain wasn't over. Alves delivered the final blow, gathering the ball 20 yards out then whipping a shot beyond Gordon's reach, high into the far corner of the net.

A night that had started so euphorically for the visitors had ended in despair.

BBC
Paris St-Germain 7-1 Celtic: Brendan Rodgers praises visitors' efforts

By Alasdair Lamont

BBC Scotland at Parc des Princes

From the section Celtic

Brendan Rodgers says Celtic 'beaten with quality' by PSG

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers described the disappointment of losing seven goals to Paris St-Germain as less severe than shipping the same number to Barcelona last season.

Celtic were thumped 7-1 by an immense PSG team in the French capital.

But Rodgers felt there were more positives to take from this game than his first Champions League group match, which Celtic lost 7-0 in the Camp Nou.

"In a strange way, I thought there were lots of good moments for us," he said.

"We came off after Barcelona and it was a tough one for us because we didn't give anything in the game.

"Whereas tonight, we made a great start, which gave us belief. You could see that in how we were playing, defending strongly and had a real good focus and real good quality in the game.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers consoles captain Scott Brown
Brendan Rodgers' Celtic side suffered a 7-1 drubbing in Paris

"We give the ball away in midfield and that gives them the opportunity to get the goal. The spell after that I was probably most disappointed with. You analyse the goals we gave away, they were disappointing goals.

"When it gets to 4-1 you try to limit the damage and I thought we were compact in defence, and then they score three goals out of nothing really.

"The lessons for us: we can keep the ball better, defend better at set-pieces but you also have to admire the sheer quality of PSG."
'You're watching the world's best'

In suffering these seven-goal humiliations at the hands of Barcelona, then PSG, Rodgers has overseen Celtic's heaviest defeats in Europe.

He accepts that the club's greatest challenge is bridging the gap between themselves and Europe's superpowers.
Edinson Cavani
Edinson Cavani nudged home his side's third goal, and later volleyed a superb sixth

"We're up against it if we qualify as champions of Scotland because there's always going to be at least a couple of teams in the group who are vying to win the competition," he said.

"When you're playing against a superior team, at times their technique is maybe a slightly higher level. What you're watching here is the world's best.

"My players, from where they were when we came in to where they are now – they're at a very good level but of course it's not the level of PSG."
'We'll be fine for Sunday'

Rodgers believes the phenomenal quality of the opposition makes losing seven goals in Paris less difficult to bear and recover from.

Defending champions Celtic face Motherwell in Sunday's Scottish League Cup final, but the Parkhead boss insists lifting his players' spirits will not be difficult.

"Of course professional pride at losing seven goals, you're not so happy about but it's dovetailed with admiration for a team that I'll be very surprised if they don't make the final," the Celtic boss added.
Celtic players
Celtic's players face a Scottish League Cup final date with Motherwell on Sunday

"That sheer level of quality they have in their team and the confidence with which they play with each other [is impressive].

"So we'll be absolutely fine [for Sunday's League Cup final against Motherwell], disappointed of course but even more determined to win now."