Chris Sutton makes Benfica vs Celtic admission, and he is not wrong
Chris Sutton has been discussing Celtic's chances of grabbing a result from Benfica in the Europa League on Thursday night.
The Bhoys have a tricky test ahead, facing a Benfica side that beat Real Madrid in the Champions League only last season, while they have since beaten AC Milan in this season's Europa League.
The Hoops have been poor against good teams this season, and it was only on Sunday they managed to pick up their first win in four games after a three-game losing run before the international break.
Martin O'Neill's men have crumbled in two of their first three games in Europe this season, including the second leg of their Champions League qualifier and the first game of their Europa League campaign, which was a home defeat to Ferencvaros.
Benfica represent a much stiffer test than both of those teams, and it's likely going to be the biggest test of Celtic's season.
“I’m not overly optimistic about Thursday, but what happens in the bigger picture of the Europa League will go a long way towards defining the mood for the rest of the campaign," former striker Sutton told the Daily Record.
"If they rise to the challenge, Martin’s (O’Neill) job becomes a whole lot easier. If they struggle again, the talk of regression will only grow louder. There’s no doubt that Celtic have a point to prove in Europe - and so does (Kasper) Hogh in a green and white jersey. One goal can change everything for a striker. And Lisbon would be a good place to start."
Celtic could do with the first goal against Benfica in Lisbon, but even if they can't get the result, the Bhoys just need to prove they can hang with their tricky opponents. They have too often fallen flat in big games this season, so if they can show some intensity and avoid falling out of the game altogether if things don't go their way, Celtic should be able to leave Lisbon with their head held high.
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