Celtic 'open eyes' ahead of Champions League new dawn as revamped format catches the attention of the dressing room

Alistair Johnston insists Celtic are to ready to make a Champions League racket and not become the accidental tourists of campaigns past.

The Canadian is relishing the prospect of Uefa’s new group stage format which will see the Hoops play eight different teams home and away in one big league table. It’s a freshening up of the competition which Johnston hopes will also trigger better fortunes for a side which managed just one group stage win last season to follow a trend of disappointments on the continent in recent years.

As the champions get ready for a Parkhead Premiership flag day this afternoon, the 25-year-old is adamant Celtic become a big noise against Europe’s elite by raising the bar and claiming the scalps of . He said: “This is a really big year for us in terms of taking that next step, not only domestically, but in Europe as well. It’s going to be an unbelievable opportunity with this new set up with the Champions League being a minimum of eight group stage matches, if you want to call it a group stage. It’s going to give us multiple opportunities to play at the biggest stage in club football and show that we belong,

“Wins over Manchester City and Chelsea during pre-season saw that we can compete in the friendly games. I think that’s opened the eyes of some people. If we can keep that form going and continue to build on that, we really can make some noise in Europe.”

Johnston is convinced the enlarged group format will benefit Brendan Rodgers’s side and believes a more lethal approach is required to ensure they don’t become also-rans once again.

He said: “The Champions League holds massive allure for all players coming to Celtic. The idea of playing for every trophy within Scotland is a massive attraction