MX23RW : Friday, May 17 08:33:46| >> :60:1265:1265:

Callum McGregor relishing Champions League test despite heavy PSG defeat

The Hoops were beaten 4-0 in Paris but Callum McGregor feels the friendly will have benefited his teammates.

Callum McGregor believes Tuesday's gruelling workout against Paris St Germain was the perfect warm-up for Celtic's Champions League bid.

Neil Lennon's side were outclassed by Neymar and company at the Parc des Princes, with the French giants romping to a 4-0 win.

But stand-in skipper McGregor, who took the armband in the absence of injured captain Scott Brown, feels the friendly clash with the big-spending Parisians is just what the Hoops need as they get set for another assault on the group stages.

Celtic's opening qualifier on August 19 is less than a month away and the Scottish champions will have to overcome four opponents before they can take their place among Europe's elite.

But McGregor is sure his side will be more than ready for that quest having been pushed to the limit by PSG.

The Scotland midfielder told CelticTV: "We spoke about it in the changing room after the game. The Champions League is the level that we want to play at, so the PSG game is a nice taste of what could be.

"But we always know how hard it is to get there and that's the level that we have to reach. It was a very good exercise, 90 minutes in the legs, and good to see the opposition.

"I felt good out there. It's 90 minutes and a tough, tough shift as well. You could play a full game against lesser opposition and it's not as hard on the legs, but that's a real big shift where you're always looking, running and concentrating.

"It's mental and physical fitness. I think the boys are looking in good shape and we'll try and take the positives from the game."

Celtic showed some fleeting moments of quality against their hosts from the French quality but ultimately sank to a heavy defeat.

World Cup-winner Kylian Mbappe put PSG ahead inside a minute before goals from Neymar, Anders Herrara and Pablo Sarabia rubbed salt into Celtic's wounds.

"It was tough," added McGregor. "When you come up against top-class opposition, you know it's going to be a test. It was a match that the boys were looking forward to, and you can obviously see the difference in quality.

"We conceded a goal a minute in, so we weren't switched on from the start, but I think after that, we got to grips with the game a little bit more.

"We played the shape pretty well, and managed to stifle them on occasion. Against top-class opposition, then we were reasonably happy with that first half.

"We had some good opportunities on the counter-attack. You have to try and be a threat as well when you're playing against a good opposition, and I thought we did that on numerous occasions, in the first half and the second.

"Our play probably did deserve a goal. Pre-season is all about fitness and, again, playing teams like this is a good test for us."

Meanwhile, Celtic's Ladbrokes Premiership clash with St Mirren at Parkhead on Saturday, October 31, has been postponed because of the Hoops' involvement in last season's rearranged William Hill Scottish Cup semi-finals.

Aberdeen's trip to Hamilton and Hibernian's clash with St Johnstone at Easter Road have also been affected, with new dates yet to be confirmed.

ID:407543: cacheID:407543:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4729:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
General view of Hampden Park on May 27, 2017
Read Next:
Scottish FA to use Israel clash as test event for return of supporters
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
Championship Group
CCeltic440092286490
2RangersRangers430184295584
3Hearts412151391267
4Kilmarnock41124543255
5St Mirren41124449-547
6Dundee40044867-1941
Relegation Group
1Aberdeen44004650-447
2Hibernian42025158-745
3Motherwell42025557-243
4Ross County41123665-2934
5St Johnstone40132753-2632
RLivingston42022869-4124
 
First Phase
CCeltic33246380265478
2RangersRangers33243672234975
3Hearts33195946341262
4Kilmarnock33131284334951
5St Mirren33127143843-543
6Dundee331011124454-1041
7Hibernian33912124451-739
8Motherwell33813124651-537
9Aberdeen33811143549-1435
10St Johnstone33710162446-2231
11Ross County3379173256-2430
RLivingston3339212259-3718


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!