Aston Villa hero Gabby Agbonlahor makes bold Celtic claim

Celtic must have surprised a lot of people with how good they were in their Champions League opener against Slovan Bratislava. Of course, many have questioned the strength of the Slovakian team in the aftermath but nobody can say that they did not earn their place in the competition. They got through the qualification phase. Hoops fans know very well how tough that can be.

That being said, Celtic will know that tougher tests are ahead. One of them will be an away trip to Aston Villa.

Unai Emery's side exceeded all expectations last season by finishing in the Premier League top four. And so far, they are showing that their performance in the previous campaign was not a fluke. Aston Villa sit third in the English top flight ahead of Arsenal and Chelsea and they won their Champions League opener 3-0.

Agbonlahor made 391 appearances for Aston Villa and scored 87 goals for them, having come through their ranks and spent well over a decade with them before retiring. And the club hero seems to believe that Celtic could finish in a play-off spot. As reported by 67 Hail Hail, he said on talkSPORT:

"What I would say, though, is that this new format will give Celtic a better chance, I think.

“I think Celtic could finish in the top 24 to get a play-off, I do."

Aston Villa hero Gabby Agbonlahor makes bold Celtic claim

Celtic fans are hoping that the Hoops secure a play-off spot for sure. Especially after the start that they have made to their Champions League campaign.

A lot of positivity around the new format is the draw that Celtic were handed. They were given four winnable games, one of which they have already navigated successfully.

Of course, there are a few tough contests as well. But overall, if Celtic can perform at anywhere near their best throughout the course of the opening phase of the Champions League, they should make it to the play-off round, at least.