Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel makes bold Celtic claim

Celtic have made a bright start to the season. They have won all of their games so far and already have a five-point lead over the Rangers when it comes to the Scottish Premiership. It is going to be a long campaign though, longer than usual. So, Brendan Rodgers will need to make sure that his team does not lose focus at any point, like they appeared to do at times last year. Tougher tests lie ahead.

One of the targets for Celtic has to be doing better in the Champions League. Fortunately, the luck of the draw has been on their side for a change and the Hoops have been handed a decent list of fixtures.

The Champions League will be played out in a new format from this season. Celtic will face Slovan Bratislava, Borussia Dortmund, Atalanta, RB Leipzig, Club Brugge, Dinamo Zagreb, BSC Young Boys and Aston Villa in the first phase of the competition.

Of course, there are going to be difficult games, like going away to Borussia Dortmund and Aston Villa. But then, there seem to be some winnable ones as well. Overall, Celtic will be satisfied.

Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel makes bold Celtic claim

Someone who knows what it takes to win the Champions League is Manchester United legend, Peter Schmeichel. Of course, he will be keeping a closer eye on Celtic this season, with his son, Kasper, having joined as Joe Hart's replacement this summer.

The Manchester United hero appears to believe that the new format might suit clubs like Celtic more than the old one. As reported by 67 Hail Hail, Schmeichel told the Daily Express [print edition page 72]:

"With this new format, it might just suit a club like Celtic a little bit better than the previous format.

“Celtic, they’re in pot three and they’ve got a better chance of getting into the play-offs of the Champions League, so they can progress from the Champions League in that way.

“Whereas before, if you didn’t finish in the top two, you were out. I’m not saying this is going to be easier.

“I just think in order to get points, this format will suit clubs like Celtic a lot better than the group phases."

One certainly has to agree with Schmeichel here. On paper, it certainly feels like that way. Now, it remains to be seen if Celtic can actually show progress in the Champions League this season or not.