Benfica boss Marco Silva knows Celtic will arrive in Lisbon desperate to kickstart their Europa League campaign. The Bhoys lost their opening game in this competition, losing 3-1 at home to Ferencvaros in what was a surprise result in some ways.
Celtic have a tough league phase fixture list, and they will know that the home games are going to be vital if they are going to pick up the 9-10 points they will likely need to progress to the knockout playoffs.
Away games are going to be much trickier, as they always are in Europe, and there is going to be none tougher than Thursday night's clash with Benfica in Lisbon.
Benfica are a team that could quite comfortably compete in the Champions League, and they are seen as one of the favourites to win this competition this season.
Celtic have struggled against good teams this season, losing four of the five games they have played against decent or good teams so far, and they will likely have to put on their best performance of the season to get something from Benfica on Thursday night.
But Benfica boss Silva will be expecting his side to take care of business, and he has warned his side that Celtic will arrive in Lisbon desperately to kickstart their European campaign after that disappointing defeat in their opener.
"It will be very important to pick up points," Silva said in his pre-match press conference.
"Celtic didn't start this competition well and will want to set things right, so it is up to us to be at our best. Celtic are a big club and a strong name in Europe, with a rich tradition and capable of making things difficult for their opponents and fighting until the final whistle."
That trait of making things difficult for good teams is not one Celtic have displayed so far this season. They have been all too flat in difficult moments against opposition capable of taking the game away from them.
What Celtic fans will want to see most on Thursday is their side stay in a difficult game and respond if they concede first. A result may be a big ask on Thursday night, but the Bhoys will know they need to prove themselves capable of handling big occasions and turning up with a respectable intensity and effort. If they can't manage that, then their Europa League campaign is going to end up being cut short.
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