O'Neill feels no pressure

Celtic manager Martin O'Neill insists he does not feel the financial pressure to get into the Champions League group stages.

The club will face FC Basel of Switzerland in the final qualifying round before the lucrative league stages.

But, while the cash generated by the group stages is huge, O'Neill insists the club will survive if Celtic do not progress.

O'Neill said: "The pressure for myself and the team is purely from a footballing aspect.

"But, commercially speaking, we know the benefits we had from the Champions League money last season. It would be good to get through but the club have done without Champions League money for the last eight or nine years.

"If we fail this time, we will have to do without it again. The club had the experience of the Champions League last season obviously. We had the experience of playing in it and, commercially, it was great news for the club.

"We were able to do things around the club which wouldn't have been touched if we hadn't been in the Champions League.

"From every angle, it is a big, big game for us and it is one we can win."

But O'Neill has dismissed suggestions the game has come too early in the season for his side - just two games into the new campaign.

However, O'Neill believes the 4-0 win at Pittodrie at the weekend will help his side's cause. He said: "The Aberdeen game will be a good one for bringing on players a bit more. Ideally, we would like to be two or three games further in but that is not to be and it is not something we can use as an excuse. We have known for quite some time how the fixture list falls.

"Manchester United kick off without a league game under them so it is swings and roundabouts."

But O'Neill has warned his side not to take the threat of the Swiss side lightly after they overcame Dutch giants Ajax at the same stage last year.

O'Neill said: "Ajax have gone on to prove themselves to be a very good team since then. There was talk Ajax were only at the start of their season at this time last year. But Basel are well into their stride and it will be a difficult one.

"We knew the Ajax game would be hard as they were a seeded side and have gone automatically into the group section of the Champions League. This will be hard - no doubt about it."

But Celtic captain Paul Lambert admits that the level of expectancy can be distracting. The Parkhead side are widely tipped to progress into the group stages at the expense of Christian Gross' team.

But Scotland international Lambert recognises the need for the side to remain focused. He said: "It is a massive game to try and get into this section.

"The problem is everybody is expecting us to go there and win. You have to earn the right to win football games.

"The expectancy level does annoy me, to be honest. But it doesn't work that way.

"If we don't play as well as we can, we could be in trouble. But, if we don't lose an away goal, it will always give us a chance."

Gross picked out striker Henrik Larsson as Celtic's biggest threat.

The former Tottenham manager tried to sign Larsson when at Grasshoppers and has always been a big admirer of the Swede.

"I would say he is one of the five best strikers in Europe," said Gross. "Every manager would like him in their squad."