Ally McCoist in grudging Celtic praise as Rangers legend lays on the jokes with Atletico 'smacking' on the cards

Ally McCoist has handed out some tongue-in-cheek praise to Celtic's sharpshooters ahead of the Hoops' return match with Atletico Madrid - as he anticipates a tough Spanish test.

Kyogo and Luis Palma were on target last time out against the La Liga side as they secured a 2-2 draw to get their Champions League group stage points tally off the mark. But defeats to Feyenoord and Lazio in their opening matches leaves boss Brendan Rodgers needing to conjure up wins in their remaining three games to stand a chance of playing in Europe after Christmas.

Rangers legend McCoist was hosting talkSPORT's breakfast show as he looked ahead to Tuesday's Champions League matches. And with a joking wink and nod towards Kyogo and Palma, insisted that Atletico will provide a major hurdle for Celtic to jump. He said: "Somebody else that might find it tough is Celtic going to Madrid to play Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid. The first game at at Parkhead was a great game.

"I thought Celtic scored two terrific goals and coming from me they must have been terrific, I'll tell you that! It's a very difficult game for them."

European football journalist Kevin Hatchard was on hand to assess the game with McCoist. And he insisted a similar outcome to matchday one' 2-0 defeat to Feyenoord - where Gustaf Lagerbielke and Odin Thiago Holm were sent off - could spell more Celtic pain.

He added: "It's an incredibly difficult game. Atletico have won 14 on the spin at home in La Liga. They are the best team in the group, I believe. You never know, Celtic have pushed it close in a few of the games. But if they play like they did in Rotterdam against Feyenoord they'll get smacked."