STUART’S ON EURO MISSION
PRAY FOR THE JERSEY Leigh wants to nick striker’s shirt from his mate Fletcher
CELTIC star Stuart Armstrong says it will be a dream come true for him if the Hoops reach the group stages of the Champions League next season.
The midfielder admits he’s excited at the prospect of pulling out a plum draw against the likes of Real Madrid or Barcelona.
Armstrong played in Celtic’s two Europa League last-32 matches against Inter Milan this season and that has merely served to whet his appetite for European nights.
The 23-year-old, who arrived in Glasgow from Dundee United with Gary Mackay-Steven in January, said: “Being here for the final months of the season will prove invaluable going into the next campaign.
“I only had only one previous experience of playing in the Europa League with United and that was a 5-0 drubbing at Dinamo Moscow.
“So from going from being underdogs to facing a team like Inter Milan and feeling you could win is a really exciting prospect.
“I’ve played in big games before where I maybe let the occasion get the better of me so I was focused that night against Inter to make sure that didn’t happen and I enjoyed it.
“To score a goal and have a little bit to do with the second one was nice. I loved the atmosphere, the sense of competition and the importance of the match.
“To have the opportunity to play at stadiums such as the San Siro as well was incredible.
“Now we have the chance to go one step further and possibly play in the Champions League.”
Meanwhile, Armstrong also reflected on his first few months at Celtic which saw him lift his first winner’s medal in the shape of the Scottish Premiership title.
And he is hoping there are a lot more trophies to come in the future.
He added: “To have a bit of silverware is great and I’m looking forward to the last game of the season on Sunday, at home to Inverness, when I get to pick up a trophy.
“I’ve played enough games for a winner’s medal so it’s exciting.” LEIGH GRIFFITHS fired off a congratulatory text to Steven Fletcher to mark the Scotland’s striker treble against Gibraltar in March.
But now the Celtic striker has gone upwardly mobile he’s gunning for his hero’s starting spot in dark blue.
The 24-year-old spent his youth watching the former Hibs hitman from the stands, dreaming off emulating a player he’d eventually team up with at Wolves.
Griffiths’s 19 goals this term have pitched him into battle to lead the line in next month’s crucial Euro 2016 qualifier against Ireland and it’s a war that will see friendship go out the window.
The Hoops star was happy to pay tribute to a player who bagged Scotland’s first hat- trick for 46 years against the Group D minnows then admitted the gloves are now off.
He said: “I used to watch Steven when he was at Hibs and then I played with him at Wolves. He is a great lad and has been a great Scotland player.
“I was delighted for Fletch when he scored his hat-trick because he took a lot of stick before that, with people saying he wasn’t ready and hadn’t scored enough goals. But he showed against Gibraltar why he is the main man.
“I still speak to him and texted after that game just to say well done.
“But I’ll be vying for that No.9 jersey in June. Scotland have a lot of good strikers and there are four of us fighting for that one spot.”
The transformation in the fortunes of Griffiths couldn’t be more stark as he has gone from Celtic fringe player to a first pick under Ronny Deila and has now received a Scots call ahead of the likes of Ross McCormack and Jordan Rhodes.
Just four caps have come the striker’s way since making his debut against Luxembourg three years ago but the 1-0 win over Croatia in a World Cup qualifier lit a fire under his Scots career.
Griffiths said: “The season when I scored 28 goals for Hibs and won a couple of awards I managed to get my first start for Scotland away to Croatia.
“We had a few call-offs and I remember in training before the game when the manager told me I was playing up front I was a wee bit shocked.
“It gave me a taste for it and I have wanted more of it.
“Gordon Strachan and Mark McGhee pulled me aside and told me, ‘Just play your normal game, you’ve been flying for Hibs’.
“I ran myself into the ground for an hour and contributed to a historic victory. We went over there and nobody gave us a hope in hell of winning the game so we proved a lot of people wrong.
“I’m delighted to be back involved. It just shows I have been working really hard since the turn of the year and playing on a consistent basis.”
Griffiths has shown a growing maturity on and off the field over the past season and endorsed his old Hibs boss Pat Fenlon’s remarks this week that he has always wanted to improve as a player.
He said: “When I was playing at Hibs under Pat he gave me the freedom to do what I want.
“I read it was hard to get me off the training pitch and that was right because I wanted to better my game. I said before that Celtic was my bread and butter and I wanted to be established before any call-ups came.
“You don’t get back in the
LEIGH GRIFFITHS