Despite being enthralled with the Champions League, Alistair Johnston cautioned Celtic that they must not lose sight of the goal in the Premiership.
The Hoops’ 1-1 draw with Club Brugge on Wednesday put them within striking distance of the play-off round, putting them in a strong position to advance from the European group stage.
Between trips to Dinamo Zagreb and Aston Villa, Celtic might play struggling Young Boys Bern at home, pulling them within two or three points of qualifying for the first time since 2013. As the Parkhead men prepare for a huge fortnight on the home front, Johnston acknowledged that while the Celts are enjoying being in the battle, the Euro glitter will be set aside.He stated: “It’s
goes hand in hand. You give yourself a chance if you succeed domestically. You still need to qualify even if we win the league this year, hopefully. However, because you want to be here the following year, these kinds of moments give you even more desire for the league.
It’s going to be a busy time since we have a lot of games, match after match. Although it’s an exciting time, we all look forward to it and have such a great team here. We are concentrating on County this weekend because Zagreb is a few weeks away.
“We are prepared for everything that is thrown at us because we have faith in the group, regardless of the game or how hostile the setting is—I’m assuming it will be insane over there. It is a thrilling game.
After a vicious late challenge, Johnston suffered a serious gash in his leg during the battles against Brugge. However, the Canadian athlete dismissed it and stated that he will
be prepared to play the Staggies on Saturday. “I took a few painful ones, but that’s the nature of the job,” he remarked.