Mohamed Elyounoussi said hard work and playing with a sense of freedom would be the key to defeating Lille in the Europa League tonight (December 10).

Celtic will close out their European campaign for the season with their final group game in the Europa League, and Neil Lennon’s side will look to better the 2-2 draw they recorded against Lille in France earlier in the group with a win at Celtic Park this evening.

The Ligue 1 side have shown their quality throughout the tournament so far and are currently top of Group H. And though Celtic won't be able to progress in the competition, Elyounoussi said that the determination to win was as strong as ever within Neil Lennon's squad.

“Lille are a strong team,” said the Norwegian midfielder. “We need to be on our toes. We have nothing to lose so we’ll go out and enjoy ourselves. We’ll play with freedom and that’s the key. I enjoy myself every time I put a Celtic jersey on.

'We always play to win and that will be the same against Lille. Obviously, the results haven’t been there lately but we’re not going into the game afraid of losing. We’re going out there determined to work hard and win.'

Elyounoussi scored both of Celtic’s goals over in France, but he said personal achievements were insignificant if the team did not win. The 26-year-old said he would love to add to his goal tally again tonight but his first aim is to win the game.

“It’s always nice to score goals but, in the end, you want to win games," he said. "It’s a team sport so, individually, if you score and you don’t win you’re not satisfied. I play to win and I play in a position where I’m expected to create chance and score goals.

“Hopefully, if I get the chance I’ll try to score. We just need a good performance and to play with freedom and enjoy it. European nights are special and Lille are a good team so hopefully, we’ll get something out this.”

Elyounoussi: We're focused on delivering Euro win