Europe's glories spur on Celtic

It is 21 years since Celtic sustained a continental campaign beyond Christmas, during which time Aberdeen and Dundee United have reached European finals and Rangers been within a result of one. Yet due to the fabled 1967 European Cup triumph, a British first, Celtic remain the Scottish club most indelibly associated with the arena.

Thus their visit, tonight, to another former winner, Ajax of Amsterdam, is the tie of the Champions' League's third and final qualifying round. No matter that several other clubs playing tonight, notably Liverpool, Barcelona, Lazio and Parma, are more probable winners than either team. Ties like this are the essence of the 'famous name' philosophy which underpins the Champions' League's financial pull and emotional attraction.

Not that the fixture has just historical resonance. Both clubs are eager to reclaim past glories and reaching the lucrative group stages of the Champions' League are a cornerstone of this ambition. The match may also represent a glimpse of the future. This encounter would be a regular feature of the Atlantic League championed by both clubs, a proposal which remains more likely than the Old Firm joining the English Premiership.

Celtic are, of course, much-changed as a club since 1967. The Lisbon Lions all hailed from within a Jimmy Johnstone dribble of Parkhead. The modern team is drawn from all over Europe and is likely to include just two Scots. Even the manager, Martin O'Neill, comes from across the Irish Sea but, like the midfielder Neil Lennon, he is, at least, a Celtic man.

A European Cup winner with Nottingham Forest, O'Neill is well aware of the importance of the tie. "It is of huge financial significance to both clubs and neither wants to be called favourite," he said yesterday. "Neither is. There is just a toss of a coin between them, we both have players who are gifted technically."

Though Ajax briefly evoked their own golden age when reaching successive finals in the 1990s, they have lost their way post-Bosman. With their much-admired youth system faltering, they too are taking a multi-national route to rebuilding.

Celtic must watch out for Shota Arveladze, a temperamental Georgian forward, Cristian Chivu, the polished Romanian full-back who unhinged England in Euro 2000, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The tall and improbably-named Swede is raw but highly promising, Ajax having seen off Arsenal, Milan, Juventus and Monaco to secure the teenage striker for £5m this summer.

Like the Tunisian Hatem Trabelsi and Egypt's Ahmed Hossam, he will be making his competitive debut for Ajax, who have yet to start their domestic league. Not that O'Neill, whose Celtic team have played and won two SPL games, expects that to be of significant advantage. He may give a debut to Steve Guppy in the wake of Bobby Petta's knee injury. With Alan Thompson suspended, Lubomir Moravcik is also expected to come into midfield.

John Hartson is likely to be on the bench. Since he was, barely a week ago, preparing to play for Coventry at Stockport this Saturday, he can regard that as progress.

Ajax (probable): Grim; Trabelsi, Pasanen, Yakubu, Chivu; Van der Meyde, Cruz, Van der Vaart, Hossam; Ibrahimovic, Arveladze.

Celtic (probable): Douglas; Tébily, Mjallby, Valgaeren; Agathe, Lambert, Lennon, Moravcik, Guppy or Petta; Larsson, Sutton.

Referee: A J Lopez Nieto (Spain).