Celtic’s projected Champions League pot puts European giants firmly on the horizon

Celtic have put themselves in a commanding position to reach the Champions League proper — but the scale of the challenge awaiting them is already becoming clear.

Martin O’Neill’s side produced an impressive performance to beat Austrian champions LASK 3-0 at Celtic Park on Wednesday night, leaving them just 90 minutes away from the league phase.

There is still a job to finish in Austria next week, but Celtic will be overwhelming favourites to progress from such a strong position and avoid a repeat of last season’s play-off disappointment.

Attention is therefore already beginning to turn towards what could await the Hoops should they complete the job.

With the Champions League play-offs now at their halfway stage, Football Meets Data has projected how the four pots could look based on the current state of each tie.

And Celtic are currently projected to land in Pot Four.

That would place O’Neill’s side among the bottom seeds alongside the likes of Slavia Prague, Slovan Bratislava and Como.

Pot One could contain European heavyweights such as Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City, while Borussia Dortmund, AS Roma and Manchester United are among the teams projected for Pot Two.

Even Pot Three offers little respite, with Bodo/Glimt, Feyenoord and Napoli among the possible opponents.