Callum McGregor slams Celtic cynics who have 'too much time on their hands' as grim Euro record misses one key point

Callum McGregor has told Celtic's number crunchers that they have 'too much time on their hands' to be pouring over their European record.

And the Hoops skipper came out swinging at the stats he claims paint a skewed picture, with his Celtic side nearing the end of a dismal Champions League campaign that has so far garnered just one point against Atletico Madrid. It started badly against Wednesday's opponents Feyenoord but Brendan Rodgers men must do all they can to ensure it doesn't end in tears...just like their defeat to Kilmarnock at the weekend did.

Celtic are winless in the group stage of Europe's elite competition at home for over a decade, and haven't won a group stage game since Rodgers' first spell against Anderlecht seven years ago. And while that does make for grim reading for McGregor and Co, the captain defiantly said his team could do themselves the world of good by simply beating Arne Slot's men to break their duck.

He said: "I think people like to have too much time on their hands and they come up with these statistics and I've said it out there as well that you can't label that at this year's group or last year's group. It's a longer term thing. Even before that, the club haven't even been in the Champions League for last four years, so it all starts to add up over the years.

"We understand we want to be competitive, when we get to this level we have to make an impact. Everyone at the clubs know that, knows the position on it. If we win tomorrow night everyone stops talking about, it gives you that belief and hopefully we're back here next season and can kick on from there.

"It's important we keep everything internal, we know the messages we're trying to set, the standards. The performances, we believe