AS Celtic prepare for the first leg of their UEFA Champions League first qualifying round against FK Sarajevo tonight (Tuesday), Scott Brown said he and his team-mates are driven by the buzz of European nights at Paradise.

Speaking to the media in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Hoops club captain stressed the importance of every game on the road to qualification, and said he expects a physical game against quality players.

“We’ve had a good pre-season, we’re in a good place and we’re looking forward to the game,” said Brown. “We need to take it one game at a time, aim to get through this qualifier and hopefully head back to Celtic Park with a good result.

“It’s always hard, especially when you only get a few weeks, but the lads have come back in good condition, we’re looking forward to the game, and we want to be in the Champions League.

“For us, qualification is getting harder and harder each year, the season is getting longer, but we want to be in the Champions League. We can’t look too far ahead, though, and for us it’s about concentration. We need to make sure we’re organised. It’ll be a tough game, but we’ve prepared well and we are going in very well-organised.”

Brown explained that when he first signed for the Celtic in 2007, the winners of Scotland's top-flight entered straight into the group-stages of Europe’s most prestigious competition. Today, the path is less straightforward, but the thrill of playing in front of a full house in Glasgow drives the current squad forward.

He added: “When I first signed here, we used to go straight into the group stages. It shows you how things have changed in the 13 season that I’ve been here.

"But the Champions League is huge for me. You want to play against teams and players in the worlds. It’s one of the reasons I signed for Celtic. For the club, it’s huge too, and we need to make sure we get there in the first place.

“A lot of players come to Celtic to see what it’s like at Celtic Park on Champions League nights. The fans thrive off the atmosphere, the players do as well, and we want to experience that again this season. You look back a few years to games like the Manchester City match, and we’d love to have that again.”

Scott Brown: We’re well-prepared for Sarajevo challenge