RYAN Christie believes the level of opposition Celtic will face during their pre-season stay in France will help the team massively in their preparations for the monumental season ahead.

Following a week-long training camp in Loughborough, Celtic will head out to France ahead of their friendly fixtures against Lyon, Nice and Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain.

Christie was thoroughly impressed with the top class facilities Celtic had at their disposal in Loughborough, which he believes has helped the team build on their weeks of hard work since returning last month.

The Hoops midfielder said the upcoming games against such strong opposition would play a huge role in helping Celtic find their peak for the beginning of the new campaign.

“These games are definitely going to be tough,” said Christie in an exclusive interview with the official Celtic website. “But that’s the level we see ourselves as a club and a team so these games will be great for us.

“It’s good to test yourself against the best at every chance you get. The friendlies will be the first proper games for us and we’ll take a lot out of those games. We’re not going in against a lower league team or anything like that. The opposition we’ll be facing are of a very high level and that’ll definitely help get us back into match fitness quicker.”

The pressure around the new season is greater than ever with a potential 10th successive league title on the line, but Christie maintained the motivation within the squad is at an all-time high.

“We have a massive motivation within the squad,” said Christie. “Since I’ve been here, that’s been constant and we rarely look at any other factors outside of what we can do ourselves. The only thing we can really influence is our performances and the results. As long as we take care of that, then everything else will be outwith our control.”

Christie: Pre-season opposition will boost our own preparations