Celtic throw Champions League 'free punch' narrative out dressing room window window as top seeds issued firm warning

Liam Scales insists Celtic can take their Champions League show on the road.

The Hoops got the league phase off to a flier with Wednesday’s five star battering of Slovan Bratislava to spark a Parkhead party. Brendan Rodgers’ men now face back-to-back away clashes with big guns Borussia Dortmund in Germany and Atalanta in Italy. Scales knows he home clashes could be vital in securing progress to the knockout stages with RB Leipzig, Club Brugge and Young Boys Bern on the way.

But the Irish ace is convinced Celts can produce more magic on their travels and are looking to pick up points away from Parkhead. Scales – who notched the opener against the Slovaks – said: “It’s the best start we could have hoped for. Obviously you feel the atmosphere at home. The teams coming here are going to feel that. It is important for us to pick up as many points at home as we can.

"Now can we build on it? We have to use it as a platform to continue to get good results. I think we’re in a really good place at the moment. We’re probably in the best place we can be to go and do well this year in the Champions League. That’s the hope. We need to take it game by game and focus on picking up results.

“Even against the top-seed teams. We need a bit of belief. If we play our game and play well, we can do it. They (Dortmund and Atalanta) will be, on paper, probably the toughest ties that we have. Some people might say it’s a free punch, but for us it’s not. We want to go and approach every game the same way. We’re seeing them as games that we can potentially win. That’s how we prepare for them.”

Rodgers insisted going in his side would be going all out to make an impact – and Scales admitted confidence is soaring after a spectacular opening night. He