HAVING committed his long-term future to Celtic by signing a new five-year deal that will see him remain at the club until at least the summer of 2024, Callum McGregor is now turning his attention to more immediate matters and Celtic’s Europa League clash with Lazio in Rome.

The midfielder played his part in the Hoops’ 2-1 win over the Italian side at Celtic Park two weeks ago, and now he’s hoping for another positive result in the Stadio Olimpico.

Neil Lennon’s side are currently top of Group E, and a victory in the Italian capital will put them in a commanding position to secure qualification to the last 32 of the competition.

And while it will be a tough task for the Scottish champions, McGregor explained that the team go into the match full of confidence.

“The first game was a real confidence booster for us, and it was a great night,” he said. “To come out on the winning side of that gives us good confidence to come here and get a positive result. Everyone’s prepared well this week, we trained well on Wednesday morning and we’re ready to go.

“It was a great game at Celtic Park, with two real good sides playing good football, and they carried a real threat within the game.

“We know that, coming here, it’s going to be difficult and different, and the onus will probably be more on them to attack. We know how good the strike-force is, and midfield backing them up. We know it’ll be a tough game and we’ll have to play really well to get something from the match.

“That’s the next thing for the club as well. We’ve done really well domestically, and that’s what we have to look at first and foremost.

“The next step for us to the group to progress in Europe and we’ve had a great start in the group, so it’s important we make sure over the next few games we qualify and get a good draw and then kick on from there.”

McGregor: Beating Lazio at home gives us confidence for Rome test