Martin O'Neill's Champions League history with Celtic includes a persistent regret: failing to progress from the group stage in 2001, a missed opportunity he still hopes to address. The current Celtic manager, who won the European Cup twice with Nottingham Forest, led the Hoops through a play-off against Ajax to reach the group stage for the first time in the club's history.
Near Misses in Europe
O'Neill's Celtic secured nine points from three home wins in that group stage, but a last-minute penalty against Juventus in Turin denied them a spot in the last 16. He described the penalty as "not remotely a penalty" and believes the team had the ability to go further.
"Those were big blows for us not to get through the group stage because I felt we could have got to the knockout stages," O'Neill said. "I do think we had the wherewithal to do fine there as well. I can semi-base that on the fact Porto only just beat us in the UEFA Cup Final and then went on to win it the following year with essentially the same team."
Qualifying Hurdles
There was also heartache in a qualifier against Basel a year later, when a 3-1 first-leg lead evaporated in Switzerland, though Celtic eventually reached the 2003 UEFA Cup Final. O'Neill recalled speaking to Didier Agathe and Alan Thompson about that tie, noting the team's nervousness in the second leg but ultimately progressing.
O'Neill acknowledged the difficulty of the current play-off against LASK, a team he described as "very big and strong" with good set-pieces and pace up front. He said, "We have to deal with that. I'm not playing it down, this will be difficult."
Learning from Past Disappointments
Reflecting on Celtic's recent European campaigns, O'Neill pointed to their performance in the 2024-25 group stage, including a draw at Atalanta and a win over Leipzig, as evidence they can compete. He also referenced the disappointment of missing out on the Champions League entirely the following year.
O'Neill acknowledged the mood at Parkhead will depend on results over the next six days, especially after last year's qualifying exit to Kairat. He said, "It'll still be if we don't make it, of course we'll be really disappointed. But it won't be easy for us. That's not playing it up or down. It just won't be."
