Kasper Schmeichel warns Aston Villa Celtic aren't Champions League lost Bhoys after growing up

Kasper Schmeichel has warned Aston Villa grown up Celts are ready to play in the big boys’ playground.

The Hoops looked like lost Bhoys when they got battered by Borussia Dortmund but bounced back to go unbeaten in the Champions League to reach the knock-out stages with a game to spare. Brendan Rodgers’ men head to Villa Park on Wednesday with a long shot chance of even sneaking into the top eight and bypassing the last 24 play-off round.

Celtic have nothing to lose but Schmeichel insists the side has nothing to fear either. The great Dane is convinced the Parkhead men can compete with the likes of EPL big hitters Villa – and thrill punters in the process. Schmeichel said: “When you look at our squad, we’re a good team to watch. I think we’re enjoyable to watch. What I like about us is that we learn and we mature.

“We had the setback against Dortmund but what, for me, is the big marker of any team is how you come back from those setbacks. This team, this club, has this season shown that the few times that we have had setbacks, we’ve come back stronger.

“We can feel whatever we want to feel, whether that’s elation or despair. Then at midnight, we move on. We went to Atalanta straight after that and kept the highest-scoring team in Europe from scoring, which is a big achievement.

“Our game, particularly in Europe, has matured very nicely. The Leipzig result was a great performance. I think we’re a difficult team to beat. For the neutral, we’d probably be quite enjoyable to watch as well.”

Celtic reeled off two wins and three draws in Europe on the back of Borussia and also shrugged off the shock Premiership defeat against Rangers to increase their lead at the top of the league. Schmeichel hailed the resilience of the squad