Forrest all ready for Salzburg test
HOOPS winger James Forrest has vowed that Celtic will chase a European spot beyond Christmas as they prepare to face Red Bull Salzburg on Thursday night.
The Parkhead side got off to a winning start against Rosenborg last month, a result that Forrest is looking to build upon this week.
And the main aim for the Parkhead club is to secure football beyond the initial group stages of the tournament.
“The manager has said we want to be in Europe after Christmas, especially after the disappointment of going out of the Champions League,” he said.
“We are in a very hard group in the Europa League. We have already beaten Rosenborg after a hard night when the fans
were unbelievable. We are looking forward to this campaign and the ultimate aim is to still be in Europe after Christmas.
“When you look at the draw you see there are still massive teams in this competition. It’s really competitive and there aren’t going to be any easy games.
“We need to be at it for every team we come up against.”
Celtic’s challenge is compounded by the impressive start that Salzburg have had to their season. Top of the league, the Austrians are unbeaten so far since their season kicked off.
They were denied a Champions League spot only because of the away-goal rule after drawing with Red Star Belgrade home and away and Celtic will have their work cut out if they are to take anything from the encounter.
“We played them four years ago but I think they’ve changed about half of their team from back then,” said Forrest.
“We will start looking into them more over the next couple of days. This is definitely going to be a tough game.”
Salzburg boss Marco Rose, meanwhile, admits he’s delighted to hear Celtic are wary of their trip to Austria this week.
“I’ve read the people from Celtic saying they face a major challenge when they play us,” said Rose (pictured). “I like that. It honours the work we have done and shows the respect they have for our club.
“My biggest problem for Thursday will be picking only 11 players because so many of them deserve a starting spot just now.”