Celtic must make it horrible for their Europa League hosts Benfica on Thursday night, and their focus should be on little else.
Sunday brought an important win for Celtic as they ended a run of three straight defeats by defeating Motherwell away from home. It was a complete display from Martin O'Neill's men, who gave Motherwell very little to work with.
But Motherwell are not Benfica, nor are they close. This Benfica side have serious quality, and they showed it last season by going the entirety of the league season without losing under José Mourinho, and while they are five points behind FC Porto so far this term, they have already beaten AC Milan away from home in the Europa League.
Benfica also managed to beat Real Madrid last season, so their quality should not be overlooked, even though they find themselves playing Europa League football this season.
Celtic cannot compete with that by playing their own football, especially away from home. The Bhoys conceded five against a LASK side that had a weaker squad, lost at home to Ferencvaros and were beaten up twice by Rangers.
They are struggling to compete with decent sides this season, and Benfica are by far the best team on their league phase schedule, and it's going to be a huge test for them to take anything home from Portugal.
Martin O'Neill must recognise that, and crucially, he must recognise the limitations of his squad.
If he does so, he will focus on making things horrible for Benfica on Thursday night, and especially with Benfica boss Marco Silva admitting he could give some B team players time on the pitch.
Celtic must play the physical game in Portugal, sit deep, protect their outgunned midfield at all costs and focus on keeping a clean sheet.
That's negative, that's defeatist, call it what you want. But we have seen enough of this Celtic team this season to know they virtually have no chance against Benfica by playing their own game.
The only chance they have of bring back a point or three is to shut up shop, play physical and make it a war. And there is nothing wrong with that. Smart teams and smart head coaches know when they must do it, and Benfica boss Silva is known for doing it.
O'Neill must be play that smart game and do whatever it takes to give his side a chance of bringing something home.
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