The match against Newcastle has been one of the best we have performed throughout the season, both at a defensive and offensive level and in the control of the game. Against PSG we also played well, although in the second half we dropped the level. The one in Newcastle was perfect and that means that, if we want to go through, we will have to do it perfect.
Luke McCowan's goal inside 30 seconds was irrelevant in the broader context of this tie. Stuttgart's 4-1 canter in Glasgow a week earlier ensured that. Still, a game that had the whiff of irrelevance for Celtic delivered unexpected cheer.
The Gunners finished top of the table in the league phase, winning all eight fixtures, scoring the most goals and conceding the fewest of all 32 teams. A top two finish was then made official after a 3-1 victory in the San Siro, meaning Arsenal are now assured of hosting the second legs in all of their knockout matches.
When Martin O'Neill replaced Brendan Rodgers in October, the Celtic ship was listing. When he returned for a second interim spell after Wilfried Nancy's tumultuous and brief reign, the ship was taking on water at an alarming rate. Celtic have needed a safe pair of hands and a figurehead to unite a fanbase in revolt twice this season. On both occasions they have turned to O'Neill to save them.
We wanted to be aggressive, but made a mistake with the press, allowed a dangerous attack, and it scared us. So, we were too stretched out in the first half, weren't aggressive enough in the press. Having said all that, it's understandable. We knew the difficulties of this match, and when they start to pile up with six in a row every three days, you will inevitably pay a price.
Already for Ange Postecoglou it feels like an interminable wait. Just as it seemed he would record his first victory as Nottingham Forest manager in a competition he won last season, Antony levelled for Real Betis to kill the party. Igor Jesus scored twice as Forest recovered from Cedric Bakambu's opener and hit the woodwork in pursuit of a first-half hat-trick but the former Manchester United winger, derided after struggling in the Premier League, equalised in the 85th minute.
Former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been sacked by Turkish club Besiktas. The 52-year-old took charge of the Istanbul club in January and steered them to a fourth-placed finish last season. But after defeat by Swiss side Lausanne in the Conference League play-offs on Thursday meant the club would not be playing European football this season, the club dismissed the Norwegian.
