CALLUM McGregor already has a wealth of European experience, with 55 appearances to his name, along with 11 goals. The first of those appearances and goals came in the same game, which was also his Celtic debut, the midfielder netting the only goal of the game away to Icelandic side, KR Reykjavik.

His most recent goal came this season, in the 5-0 win over Estonian side, Nomme Kalju, while his 55th appearance came in last week’s impressive 4-1 away win over AIK in Stockholm, a result which gave the Hoops a 6-1 aggregate win and a place in the group stages of the UEFA Europa League.

The following day, the draw for that stage of the competition pitted Neil Lennon’s side against Lazio, Stade Rennais and CFR Cluj.

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It will see Celtic head to Rome for the first time on competitive action, taking on a Lazio side who will be favourites, as pot one seeds, to win the group.

The Hoops will also face a Stade Rennais side who visited Celtic Park in July for a pre-season friendly, while there is an almost instant resumption of hostilities with Romanian champions, CFR Cluj, who knocked Celtic out of the UEFA Champions League qualifiers this season.

For McGregor, it’s an exciting draw, but also one that he believes the Hoops are capable of progressing from and delivering European football after Christmas for the third consecutive season.

The Celtic View caught up with the 26-year-old midfielder for his reaction to the Europa League draw.

LAZIO
‘I think it’s a good draw. Everyone knows Lazio. They’re a top Italian side, and Italian sides have a big history in European competition. When you look at some of the other names in pot one, I think we’ve got a good draw in terms of bringing them to Celtic Park, so that will be a good night and it’s something we’ll look forward to. The big team is always the one the fans want to go to, and this time the travelling’s not too bad, so I’m pretty sure they’ll have that trip earmarked. It’s a great opportunity to go and play there, and in a historic stadium as well, so hopefully we can go and get something from that game in Rome.’

STADE RENNAIS
‘When we played them here in July, that might have been their first game back for pre-season, so you can’t judge too much on that match, but pre-season is all about building blocks. So we’ve seen the players, we’ve seen the team and we can be confident going there and getting a good start in the group. The way the draw has been, it gives us a chance to get a good start in the group. The first game, which is away in France, is always important to get points on the board, and in football that momentum can take you anywhere. We’ve had good results away from home already this season, so that gives us confidence for the group games.’

CFR CLUJ
‘It was inevitable that we were going to get them again, and it’s a good thing that we can go and almost set the record straight in terms of us owing them a performance and a result. I’m sure it's one that the players and fans will want to try and settle that score in. There was that disappointment against Cluj, but the team has responded very, very well since then. When we look at the three games, we’ll want to try and get some points away from home and get enough points to go through. We know all about their team, and likewise, they know about us, but we’re confident that we can get the right results against them this time around.’

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Callum McGregor: We're looking for Europa League progress