No Wembley excuses for Spurs in Champions League says Pochettino

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London (AFP) – Mauricio Pochettino insists Tottenham won’t be allowed to use their temporary move to Wembley as an excuse for failure in their Champions League opener against Monaco on Wednesday.

Pochettino’s side return to the Champions League for the first time in five years in unfamiliar surroundings after deciding to stage their European matches at Wembley rather than White Hart Lane.

The prospect of bigger crowds at the English national stadium convinced Tottenham to make the short move across north London and the crowd is expected to set a new record for the largest attendance for a home Champions League game in Britain.

Fans of Tottenham’s bitter rivals Arsenal can testify to the struggles of a Wembley relocation after they won just two of their six fixtures in Europe when temporarily playing there in the late 1990s.

Tottenham have won only once at the redeveloped Wembley since it opened in 2007 and Pochettino’s demand for a high-intensity pressing style may prove more demanding for his players on the stadium’s big pitch.

But the Argentine coach has drilled his players on a pitch of the same size at their Enfield training ground and he expects them to thrive in their new surroundings.

“We need to go to Wembley and play, behave naturally and not try to find an excuse, that’s never good,” Pochettino said on Tuesday.

“We trust in us. We believe in the way we play and it’s a good chance to play on a big pitch.

“You have more space to play, it’s more difficult for the opponent to press you when there are more metres to run, but the same for both.

“We feel good at White Hart Lane because it’s our home and we need to feel good at Wembley. With two pitches at the training ground we designed the same dimensions as Wembley.”

– English core –

Tottenham striker Harry Kane agrees with Pochettino and claims a strong English core that includes internationals Kyle Walker, Danny Rose, Eric Dier, Dele Alli and himself, can help them settle in the venue where they play for their country.

“If there are 85-90,000 Tottenham fans in there it’s only going to make you play better,” Kane said.

“A lot of us have played there already, so it feels like even more of a home. Everyone knows how iconic Wembley is, but that’s what we’ve got to be careful of.

“Monaco are going to come here and it’s a big occasion for them as well. We have to make sure we’re ready for that.”

Unlike his English colleagues, South Korea midfielder Son Heung-min got his first taste of the most famous stadium in England when Spurs trained there recently.

“For every player, it’s a dream to play in the Champions League,” Son said.

“For me also, it’s two years since I played in the Champions League. I can’t wait for this night.

“My first time I went training at Wembley, the stadium was unbelievable. I’m excited to play there, so many fans will be there and we have to win this game.”

Tottenham head into the Monaco clash on a high after winning 4-0 at Stoke in the Premier League on Saturday.

But Monaco will also be in confident mood after climbing to the top of Ligue 1 with a 4-1 win at Lille.

Leonardo Jardim’s team are unbeaten in four league matches, including an upset of French champions Paris Saint Germain, and survived two tough rounds of qualifying against Fenerbahce and Villarreal to reach the Champions League group stages.

According to former France and Arsenal star Emmanuel Petit, Jardim’s men should not be underestimated.

“Monaco will not be intimidated. They are in good form and they beat PSG just before the international break,” he said.

“They are organised and are playing well. Spurs need to be careful of them.”

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Five reasons Real Madrid can win the Champions League

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Madrid (AFP) – Ahead of the start of their 2016-17 Champions League campaign against Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday, AFP Sports takes a look at five reasons defending champions Real Madrid can conquer Europe for the 12th time:

– It is “their” competition

Understandably given Madrid are by a distance the most successful team in the history of the competition, no club associates themselves more with the history of the Champions League.

A second title in three years took Real four clear of AC Milan as the undoubted kings of Europe and when it comes to big European nights come the springtime, the Santiago Bernabeu is transformed into a cauldron.

A huge part of their success comes from the fact when it comes to balancing priorities at the business end of the season, unlike some others, Madrid always side with the Champions League over domestic duties. Expect this season to be no different.

– Settled squad

Coach Zinedine Zidane and president Florentino Perez insisted Real’s squad was “impossible” to improve upon as they shunned splashing on a Galactico signing in the transfer market.

The return of Alvaro Morata from Juventus was Real’s only significant move, which has left an unusual air of stability at the Bernabeu.

Morata’s arrival also adds depth in one of the few positions that needed strengthening as the Spanish international will battle Karim Benzema to be Zidane’s first-choice central striker between Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale

– Ronaldo nears Champions League century

Top scorer in the competition for the past four seasons and of all-time, Cristiano Ronaldo is Mr. Champions League and has another significant milestone in reach.

The Portuguese is just seven goals short of a century in the Champions League and having hit double figures in Europe for the past five seasons and recently returned to fitness following knee ligament damage, another barrel load of Champions League goals to take him into three figures seems certain.

– Bale eyes glorious homecoming

As if Madrid needed any more motivation to defend their title, one of their superstars has an extra special reason to make it back to the final.

Gareth Bale said he came to Madrid to win the Champions League and has done just that in two of his first three seasons. However, the chance to win it in front of a home crowd in Cardiff on June 3 next year is especially enticing. 

“It would be very nice. I’ve experienced the Super Cup in Cardiff before and it would be amazing to experience an actual Champions League final in Cardiff as well,” said Bale last week.

– Challenge of repeating enthrals

One of the very few feats left for Madrid to conquer in the Champions League is breaking the remarkable 26-year run since the trophy was last retained.

Madrid have tried and failed four times since Milan did it in 1990, but the experience gained from six successive semi-finals means they are better-placed than ever to defend the trophy.

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Kane backs Tottenham in Champions League opener against Monaco

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London (AFP) – Harry Kane is confident Tottenham’s England stars will ensure Wembley becomes a successful second home in their Champions League opener against Monaco on Wednesday.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side return to the Champions League for the first time in five years in unfamiliar surroundings after deciding to stage their European matches at Wembley rather than White Hart Lane.

The prospect of bigger crowds at the English national stadium convinced Tottenham to make the short move across north London and the crowd is expected to set a new record for the largest attendance for a home Champions League game in Britain.

Fans of Tottenham’s bitter rivals Arsenal can testify to the struggles of a Wembley relocation as they won just two of their six fixtures in Europe when temporarily playing there in the late 1990s.

But Tottenham striker Kane believes a strong English core that includes internationals Kyle Walker, Danny Rose, Eric Dier, Dele Alli and himself, can help them instantly settle in the venue where they play for their country.

“If there are 85-90,000 Tottenham fans in there it’s only going to make you play better,” Kane said.

“A lot of us have played there already, so it feels like even more of a home. Everyone knows how iconic Wembley is, but that’s what we’ve got to be careful of.

“Monaco are going to come here and it’s a big occasion for them as well. We have to make sure we’re ready for that.”

Tottenham head into the Monaco clash on a high after winning 4-0 at Stoke in the Premier League on Saturday.

– Amazing atmosphere –

Kane ended a nine-game goal drought by netting for the first time this season and he believes the result was emblematic of the positive mood at Tottenham.

“The lads are excited and we wanted a good result here,” he said.

“Now we can go there on Wednesday and enjoy the record-breaking crowd. It’s going to be an amazing atmosphere and the lads cannot wait to play in that one now.

“There’s a buzz about that one and coming off the back of a 4-0 win you can’t ask for much more. We have to prepare well for Wednesday now.

“We’re not there just to participate. We want to go as far as we can, we feel we have a group that we can definitely qualify from. A good start is important.”

Kane’s strike came after Alli had also opened his account for the campaign, while Son Heung-min scored twice in his first appearance of the season.

And unlike his English colleagues, the South Korean midfielder got his first taste of the most famous stadium in England when Spurs trained there recently.

“For every player, it’s a dream to play in the Champions League,” Son said.

“For me also, It’s two years since I played in the Champions League. I can’t wait for this night.

“My first time I went training at Wembley, the stadium was unbelievable. I’m excited to play there, so many fans will be there and we have to win this game.”

Monaco arrive in London in confident mood after climbing to the top of Ligue 1 with a 4-1 win at Lille.

Leonardo Jardim’s team are unbeaten in four league matches, including an upset of French champions Paris Saint Germain, and survived two tough rounds of qualifying against Fenerbahce and Villarreal to reach the Champions League group stages.

According to former France and Arsenal star Emmanuel Petit, Jardim’s men should not be underestimated.

“Monaco will not be intimidated. They are in good form and they beat PSG just before the international break,” he said.

“They are organised and are playing well. Spurs need to be careful of them.”

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Real Madrid begin Champions League defence, Leicester make bow

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Paris (AFP) – AFP Sports looks ahead to Wednesday’s Champions League action as Real Madrid begin their defence of the trophy and Leicester City make their debut in the competition (all kick-offs 1945 GMT): 

Group E

At Leverkusen, Germany

Bayer Leverkusen (GER) v CSKA Moscow (RUS)

Third in the Bundesliga last season, Leverkusen go into the group phase for a fourth consecutive year. Finland forward Joel Pohjanpalo scored a hat-trick, with two added-time strikes, in Leverkusen’s 3-1 weekend win over Hamburg. Deeply experienced Champions League performer Mexican centre-forward Javier Hernandez is back for the Germans after breaking a hand when falling down a flight of stairs. Russian champions CSKA, coached by Leonid Slutsky, are on a roll of 14 matches unbeaten in their domestic league. Also in their own fourth straight Champions League campaign, CSKA are on a high after the weekend’s 3-0 win over Terek Grozny in their brand new stadium. Summer signing Lacina Traore scored twice in that game.

At London

Tottenham Hotspur (ENG) v Monaco (FRA)

The match will be played at Wembley, which the visitors may appreciate due to the fact they were thrashed 4-1 in the Europa League at White Hart Lane last season. Spurs are playing at England’s national stadium while they build a new stadium next to their current home. Wembley hosted the finals of the competition in both 2011 and 2013. The hosts made an ultimately failed bid for the Premier League title last year with a thrilling young side led by England internationals Harry Kane and Dele Ali. Their highly rated Argentine coach Mauricio Pochettino is regalvanising the side who won 4-0 away at Stoke City at the weekend. Harry Kane ended his goal drought scoring the fourth for Spurs and his first in 10 games for club and country. Monaco go into the tie in buoyant mood as goals from Djibril Sidibe, Adama Traore, Fabinho and Kamil Glik powered them to a 4-1 win at Lille on Saturday. They travel to London as French table-toppers after spending the summer beefing up their defence and cutting off dead wood.

Group F

At Madrid

Real Madrid (ESP) v Sporting Lisbon (POR)

Real begin their quest to become the first club to retain the trophy in the Champions League era with an intriguing home tie against Cristiano Ronaldo’s first club. Ronaldo’s winning penalty in the final shoot-out against Atletico Madrid clinched Real a record 11th title last season. The Portuguese star made a goalscoring return in his first appearance since limping off in the Euro 2016 final 1-0 win over france in Saturday’s 5-2 defeat of Osasuna. Ronaldo’s boyhood club turn up at the Santiago Bernabeu in good shape after a 3-0 win over Moreirense at the weekend maintained their perfect start to the Portuguese season. Under Jorge Jesus they are back in the group stage after losing to CSKA Moscow in the play-offs last season.

At Warsaw

Legia Warsaw (POL) v Borussia Dortmund (GER)

Dortmund, returning after a one-year absence, edged Real Madrid 4-3 on aggregate in the semi-finals three years ago en route to the final which they lost to Bayern Munich. The 1997 champions are in Warsaw to take on the first side from Poland in the competition in 20 years. The sides’ only previous meeting was a 2012 friendly when Dortmund’s Robert Lewandowski — the Poland striker — scored the only goal. Polish champions Legia, who came through the qualifiers, are appearing in the competition for the first time since 1995/96, when they reached the quarter-finals. Dortmund travel to the Polish capital on the back of a 1-0 upset defeat to Bundesliga newcomers RB Leipzig.

Group G

At Bruges, Belgium

Club Brugge (BEL) v Leicester City (ENG)

After their fairytale Premier League title triumph last season, Leicester begin their maiden Champions League voyage with the short trip to Belgium to face Club Brugge at the Jan Breydelstadion. This will be the Foxes’ first European game since a 3-1 defeat to Red Star Belgrade condemned them to a first-round exit in the UEFA Cup in September 2000. However, for their manager Claudio Ranieri this is the start of a sixth Champions League campaign with a sixth different club. Leicester come into the game on the back of a 4-1 defeat at Liverpool, but Michel Preud’homme’s side also lost at the weekend, going down 1-0 at Waasland-Beveren on Friday. Club Brugge are the only Belgian club ever to have reached the European Cup final, losing 1-0 to Liverpool at Wembley in 1978.

At Oporto, Portugal

Porto (POR) v FC Copenhagen (DEN)

Third in the Portuguese top flight last season, Nuno Espirito Santo’s Porto beat Roma 4-1 in the play-offs to reach the group stage for the sixth season running. The two-time European champions warmed up for this game by beating Vitoria Guimaraes 3-0 at the weekend as Belgian striker Laurent Depoitre made his first start since signing from Gent last month. Copenhagen’s last group-stage appearance came three years ago when they bowed out with just one win in six games. Stale Solbakken’s Danish champions needed to win ties against Crusaders, Astra Giurgiu and APOEL to reach the group stage. They are still unbeaten this season after defeating Odense 2-0 on Saturday with two late goals.

Group H

At Lyon, France

Lyon (FRA) v Dinamo Zagreb (CRO)

Dinamo will be looking for revenge after suffering a 7-1 whipping at home by Lyon in 2011/12, the French club’s biggest victory in the European competition. Lyon, who went as far as the semi-finals in 2010, lost all three home group stage games last season. They have since moved into an impressive new stadium, but coach Bruno Genesio has a selection headache at the moment with several key players including forward Alexandre Lacazette (thigh) and striker Nabil Fekir (knee) on the injury list. A 3-1 loss at home against Bordeaux at the weekend would not have helped morale ahead of the clash with Dinamo, the most successful Croatian club, but who have never progressed beyond the group stage.

At Turin, Italy

Juventus (ITA) v Sevilla (ESP)

Two-time European champions Juventus, the most-fancied Italian side in Europe this season, meet Sevilla for a second straight year in the group stage. Last season Juventus won 2-0 at home and Sevilla won 1-0 in Spain. The Italians warmed up with new signing Gonzalo Higuain scoring twice in a 3-1 Serie A win over Sassuolo in Turin at the weekend and are riding a 17-match unbeaten home run in UEFA competition going back to April 2013. “This is the kind of Juventus side we need for the Champions League, but we have our feet firmly on the ground,” said Higuain after his goal-scoring debut. The Turin side were eliminated in the round of 16 last season by Bayern Munich. Sevilla won the Europa League for a third consecutive time after their group-stage exit and are also coming off a 2-1 Liga win at home against Las Palmas.

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UEFA election clouded by Champions League rival

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Paris (AFP) – UEFA, the richest and most powerful continental football confederation, elects a new president this week as it confronts a growing challenge to its cash-cow Champions League.

The 55-member European confederation must choose between Slovenian Aleksander Ceferin, 48, and veteran Dutch administrator Michael van Praag, 68, to finish the term of the tainted Michel Platini at a special congress in Athens on Wednesday after an increasingly tense campaign.

Ceferin has the heavyweight support of more than 20 federations including Germany, France, Portugal and Russia, according to the Slovenian Football Association.

England, Belgium and the Netherlands are van Praag’s leading backers. 

“We need an honest football leader. No power hungry politician,” Van Praag said in a tweet last week in reaction to a Swedish media report that suggested his rival had promised Nordic countries they could stage a future European Championship.

Strongly denying the report, Ceferin told PA Sport that Van Praag was “making up stories trying to pollute the pre-election time”.

The two have made promises to improve transparency and governance at the confederation which earns more than the world body FIFA from its flagship tournaments, the annual Champions League and the quadrennial Euro spectacular.

– Champions League controversy –

But the absence of Platini this year as he lost his battle against a FIFA suspension over a $ 2 million payment has seen a growing challenge to the Champions League from within Europe and outside, with the Chinese conglomerate Wanda reportedly ready to finance a rival tournament.

Neither Ceferin nor Van Praag has said publicly how they would steady the ship.

UEFA announced last month that it has decided for 2018-2021 that the four top European leagues — Spain, England, Germany and Italy — will have four automatic places in the Champions League.

But the European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL) slammed the move as “unacceptable” and threatened last week to hold rival matches at the same time as UEFA competitions.

The EPFL demanded a greater say in major decisions and the renegotiation of its accord with UEFA when Ceferin or Van Praag take office.

The EPFL wants its own seat on the UEFA executive.

The group said UEFA’s reforms were decided without consultation. “This decision will have a detrimental impact on domestic competitions and will lead to an exponential growth in the financial and sporting gap between the biggest clubs in Europe and all the others.”

Bernard Caiazzo, president of France’s Premiere Ligue, has called the move “a disaster” and “a scandal”.

EPFL chairman Lars-Christer Olsson said clubs should only qualify through sporting merit in domestic leagues.

Ceferin told French sports daily L’Equipe he would not be able to change the reform and criticism of the move is expected at the Athens congress.

UEFA also faces pressure from the European Club Association which has repeatedly been at the centre of speculation over a breakaway Super League featuring top teams from England’s Premier League, Spain’s La Liga, Germany’s Bundesliga and Italy’s Serie A.

The ECA strongly welcomed the UEFA reforms which entrenched their place in the Champions League and lion’s share of the league’s multi-billion dollar revenues.

Talk of a breakaway league could be a bargaining ploy to seek concessions from UEFA, one executive member of the continental group said.

But some leagues have acknowledged they are in talks with China’s Wanda group, a top FIFA sponsor as well as holder of a major stake in Atletico Madrid.

“If (European competition) is reorganised as Wanda has set out, there is a greater opportunity to generate more revenue from audiovisual broadcasting,” Javier Tebas, president of Spain’s La Liga told the Financial Times.

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WWE Raw Spoilers: Sasha Banks to Return at Clash of Champions

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Sasha Banks defeats Charlotte and wins the WWE Women’s Championship. (WWE.com)

WWE superstar Sasha Banks announced her return on Monday Night Raw this week.

During September 5th’s episode of Raw, it was announced early on that Sasha Banks would be showing up to reveal some bad news. Finally, about two and a half hours into the show, Banks came out and seemed to be quite upset, leading millions of fans to fear she was about to announce a long absence or even a retirement.

Thankfully, this was a complete fakeout, and Banks is just that good of an actor. She said on Raw that she recently spoke to her doctor and has some bad news…for Charlotte, because at Clash of Champions, she will be returning and taking the Women’s Championship title back.

Sasha Banks really has been absent from the WWE due to injuries, although not due to injuries sustained at SummerSlam. Instead, she had been experiencing back pain prior to that pay-per-view and needed to take some time off to recuperate, which is why the decision was made to have her lose the title so soon. Luckily, the fact that she will be able to return after just about a month off indicates the injury was not too serious.

It seems Banks was likely cleared to return a few days ago, as her name recently began appearing on upcoming WWE live events.

Clash of Champions will air on September 25th.

Sasha Banks: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

24-year-old Sasha Banks is one of the most prolific female wrestlers in the world. But who exactly is she?

Click here to read more

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Yaya Toure omitted from Manchester City Champions League squad

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Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Out-of-favour Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure will play no part in Manchester City’s Champions League group stage matches after being left out of the squad named on Friday.

The 33-year-old’s sole appearance for City this season has been in the 1-0 victory over Romanian outfit Steaua Bucharest in the second leg of the Champions League play-offs.

Manager Pep Guardiola, who coached him at Barcelona, has deemed him surplus to requirements for the group stage.

City could not include more than 17 non-homegrown players in their Champions League squad and Guardiola still has 18 at his disposal, despite four foreign internationals, Frenchmen Samir Nasri and Eliaquim Mangala among them, leaving before Wednesday’s transfer deadline.

Teams can name up to 25 players in their Champions League squad but City’s lack of homegrown players meant they were only permitted to name a squad of 21.

City have been drawn in Group C with Barcelona, German side Borussia Moenchengladbach and Scottish champions Celtic.

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UEFA guarantee four Champions League berths to top leagues

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Monaco (AFP) – The top four leagues in Europe will be guaranteed four places in the group stage of the Champions League from the 2018/19 season, UEFA confirmed on Friday.

The changes affect the top four domestic leagues in UEFA’s ranking, which are currently Spain’s Primera Liga, Germany’s Bundesliga, England’s Premier League and Italy’s Serie A, and will initially run until 2021.

At the moment, only the three leading leagues are guaranteed three places in the group phase, with a fourth team entering in the play-off round.

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Spanish giants feared in Champions League group-stage draw

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Monaco (AFP) – The eyes of European football will be on Monaco on Thursday as holders Real Madrid and the rest of the continent’s elite discover their fate when the Champions League group-stage draw is made.

Zinedine Zidane’s side won the trophy last season — a record 11th in the club’s history — as Cristiano Ronaldo scored the decisive penalty in the shoot-out against city rivals Atletico after the final in Milan finished 1-1.

That allowed Spanish clubs to continue their recent domination of the Champions League, with Madrid and Barcelona exchanging the trophy over the last three years and Atletico appearing in two of the last three finals.

The aim now for Madrid is to become the first team to retain the trophy in the Champions League era — the last club to win back-to-back European Cups was AC Milan in 1990.

“This is the reason I came to Madrid –- to play in the Champions League, to win the Champions League,” Madrid star Gareth Bale said in an interview with UEFA.com.

“Two in three years is an amazing achievement. Now we want to look to the next one. It’s obviously a massive motivation for us all to be the first team to retain the Champions League.”

Getting to this year’s final would be that bit more special for Bale for another reason — it’s being played in his hometown, the Welsh capital Cardiff.

The final at the Principality Stadium will be played on June 3 next year, with the opening group games set for September 13 and 14.

– Leicester in pot one –

Joining continental giants Real, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Benfica in the first pot of clubs will be the Russian champions CSKA Moscow and Claudio Ranieri’s Leicester City.

Fresh from their remarkable Premier League title triumph last season, Leicester will appear in Europe’s elite competition for the first time.

Their last appearance in Europe ended in a UEFA Cup first-round defeat to Red Star Belgrade in 2000.

“I hope we are ready, not just to listen to the music but to do some music,” was how Ranieri put it back in the spring as he looked ahead to the Champions League nights in store at the King Power Stadium.

An unkind draw could see Leicester grouped together with Atletico or 1997 winners and 2013 runners-up Borussia Dortmund from the second pot, Dynamo Kiev from pot three and Monaco — one of Ranieri’s old sides — from pot four.

As for the other Premier League representatives, Arsenal and Manchester City will be in pot two and Tottenham Hotspur in pot three.

Spain, England and Germany will all have four clubs in the group stage, while Portugal and France will each have three.

Russian side Rostov feature for the first time after ousting Anderlecht and Ajax to qualify, while Celtic are back in the group stage for the first time in three years after edging out Hapoel Be’er Sheva of Israel in the play-offs.

“It is an incredible moment for the supporters. They are going to be back in amongst Europe’s elite and it is where Celtic belong,” said the Scottish champions’ manager Brendan Rodgers.

It is also where the money is — each club is guaranteed 12 million euros (10.2 million pounds, $ 13.5 million) just from being in the group stage but in reality they will bank a lot more than that.

Real reportedly earned in the region of 94 million euros in total from winning the competition last season, roughly the same as what Italian champions and 2015 Champions League runners-up Juventus paid to sign Gonzalo Higuain from Napoli this summer. 

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Injured Falcao to miss Monaco’s Champions League play-off

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Monaco (AFP) – Monaco striker Radamel Falcao will miss “several weeks” with a left hamstring injury, his club confirmed on Friday, ruling him out of the start of the French season and the Champions League play-offs.

Falcao pulled up injured late in the first half of Monaco’s 3-1 home win against Fenerbahce on Wednesday that saw them win the Champions League third qualifying round tie 4-3 on aggregate.

He had set up one goal and then scored a penalty at the Stade Louis II, having previously netted in the 2-1 defeat in the first leg in Turkey.

His absence means he is set to miss the crucial clash with Spain’s Villarreal in which a group stage berth is at stake.

The first leg is scheduled to be played at El Madrigal on August 17 with the return in the principality six days later.

The Colombian, back at the club after two seasons on loan in England with Manchester United and then Chelsea, could also miss Monaco’s opening two Ligue 1 games at home to Guingamp next Friday and away to Monaco.

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Celtic mindful of past Champions League history as Astana await

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Glasgow (AFP) – Celtic may be the favourites to progress from their Champions League qualifier against Astana on Wednesday but the Scottish champions don’t need to look far back in their history to find reasons to be wary.

Leigh Griffiths’ late equaliser in Kazakhstan last week secured a 1-1 first-leg draw and gave Brendan Rodgers’ side a vital away goal that puts the Hoops in the driving seat to progress to the final play-off round.

It was an impressive result in tough conditions for Celtic against a side that played in the group stages of last year’s competition and were unbeaten at home against Benfica, Galatasaray and eventual finalists Atletico Madrid.

Celtic, who are aiming to return to the group stages for the first time since 2013/14, will take encouragement from the fact Astana have failed to win away from home in the Champions League while managing just two goals in their seven ties.

Despite this, first team coach John Kennedy is all too aware last week’s result is far from a guarantee of reaching the next stage.

Two years ago Kennedy was a matter of weeks into his new role under the tutelage of Norwegian manager Ronny Deila and assistant John Collins when Celtic drew 1-1 away to Slovenian side Maribor in the play-off round.

It left Celtic within touching distance of the lucrative group stages, but their opponents turned the tie on its head at Celtic Park when they scored a late winner to condemn the Scottish champions to the Europa League.

There has been a change in manager since then with former Liverpool boss Rodgers now the man tasked with leading Celtic to the promised land of the group stages.

Kennedy has urged his side to learn from that bitter experience against Maribor and believes they can extend their run of four straight victories at home in qualification.

“At the time it was tough mentally to take but the memories will give the players greater awareness going into this match,” Kennedy said.

“That’s a useful experience for us to learn from.

“There are a lot of players from that tie still in the squad who were a part of that, too.

“But we always knew this was going to be a tough tie and the first leg showed that. The conditions were tough but coming home with a 1-1 in the bag is as positive as we could have asked for.

“We wanted to make sure we got a positive result and getting the away goal was massive for us. The way the tie is balanced is great for us as preparation-wise we go in with a positive mindset. 

“We’re not going in to this just trying to hang on. Our mindset is to go and win the game and put the tie to bed.”

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