Henrik Larsson always dreamed of playing in a European final - but believes tomorrow's UEFA Cup meeting with Porto at the Olympic Stadium in Seville would not have been possible but for the arrival of Martin O'Neill.
The prolific Celtic striker has been criticised for not seeking to play in a more competitive league, but his goals record is unquestionable. Those doubts were justified, with Celtic having failed to make an impact until O'Neill set foot in Parkhead.
Larsson said: "I have played in semi-finals of big competitions with Sweden and with Celtic I had dreams and ambitions. One of those ambitions was to go as far as I could with Celtic.
"I always hoped that I was going to do something like this, but we never had the best of results in Europe until the arrival of Martin O'Neill.
"In Europe after that we have made steady progress. We played in the Champions League last year and although we played well at home, we didn't play too well away from home.
"But we have got better and better after missing out on the Champions League against Basle and now we are in the final, and I am enjoying every second.
"He has brought a lot of quality players in. Alan Thompson, Chris Sutton, Neil Lennon, Bobo Balde and a lot of other players.
"For any team to be good you have to have good players and he has the right mix, and the group really get along quite well, which is important."
O'Neill has admitted even he is feeling overwhelmed by nervous excitement as his side prepare for the club's biggest European night in more than three decades.
With up to 50,000 Celtic fans - many of them ticketless - expected to fly in, O'Neill does not mind admitting he is feeling the pressure.
"There is no point in any of the players looking to me to stop them worrying," he joked to reporters. "Sorry, I'll be in the toilet."
Celtic were on the receiving end of a footballing lesson when the two sides met in the Champions League last season. Having beaten the Portuguese outfit 1-0 in Glasgow, a 3-0 defeat in Porto ensured Celtic went out of the competition.
"They beat us well in that match and they have improved since then," O'Neill admitted.
"But we have more European experience ourselves now and we have one or two options we did not have last time we played them, so you never know."
O'Neill's preparations have not been helped by striker John Hartson being ruled out with a slipped disc, which will require surgery in the close season.
But Celtic have received good wishes from an unexpected quarter, with Rangers captain Barry Ferguson saying they will be worthy winners if they defeat Porto.
The Scotland international has watched in admiration as Celtic defeated Blackburn, Celta Vigo, Stuttgart and Liverpool on the way to the final. But Ferguson believes tomorrow's result could have a major impact on the race for the Scottish Premier League.
With one match remaining, both sides are level on points.
He said: "Celtic have done well in Europe in reaching the UEFA Cup final and, hopefully, they can get a result over there.
"It (the destination of the Scottish title) all depends on whether they win or lose over there. They are going in with great confidence, have beaten some great teams along the way and deserve to win the final."
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