CELTIC return to UEFA Europa League action tonight (Thursday) when they play host to CFR Cluj on matchday two of the group stages.

Both teams enjoyed impressive starts to the campaign, with the Hoops drawing 1-1 away in France against Rennes, while Cluj were 2-1 winners over top seeds, Lazio.

The game, of course, has an added element, given the Champions League qualifying clash between the sides earlier this season.

On that occasion, it was the Romanians who triumphed, winning 4-3 in the second leg at Celtic Park to go through 5-4 on aggregate.

And while revenge will not be the watchword for Neil Lennon’s side going into this clash, the Hoops are determined to make amends and take all three points to go top of Group E.

Reflecting on the progress of his squad since that defeat to Cluj back in August, the Celtic manager said: “We have improved slowly but surely. There are still goals in us, but defensively we have more depth as well. Cluj will have to play well to beat us.

“If we can get to the levels we know we can get to it’s going to take a good team to stop us.

“It will be a different defence from last time because Jozo Simunovic won’t be there and Callum McGregor won’t play at left-back, while it will be Fraser Forster or Craig Gordon in goal with Scott Bain being out.

“Hatem Abd Elhamed or Kris Ajer might start but we’ll assess that and the likes of Boli Bolingoli, Jullien and Moritz Bauer have all come in and started to show how good they are. We can enjoy the game and hopefully make an impact.”

While Celtic were forced to settle for a share of the spoils on Saturday with a 1-1 draw against Hibernian at Easter Road, Cluj warmed up for their visit to Celtic Park with a 3-0 home win over Metan Medias on Sunday, a result which maintains their place at the top of the Romanian league.

However, given the impressive away performance that the Hoops produced against Rennes on matchday one, Neil Lennon is confident that, at a packed Paradise, his side can get a positive result on Thursday.

““We’ve started the group with a really good performance in Rennes,” he said, “and now we need to follow that up with another good performance and a win, but we know it won’t be easy.

“I’m looking forward to another big European game under the lights. It’s something we can all savour, and there’s maybe a wee extra bit of an edge there for the players with what happened previously.

“The tempo of the game will be important. In the first half against Cluj the last time we were passive. We gave them oxygen. If we had played the first half the way we did in the second we’d have won.

“Some of the goals we lost were freakish. We handed them a couple of goals at a really important time.

“We haven’t shown signs of doing that in games before or after. Maybe it just wasn’t our night and we have to accept that, but the reaction since then has been spot on.”

For the full interview with Neil Lennon, see this week’s Celtic View, out now.

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Neil Lennon ready for another special European night at Paradise