Nat Phillips excited for 'special' Champions League nights with Celtic

New Celtic recruit Nat Phillips has spoken of his excitement at representing the Bhoys in the UEFA Champions League over the coming months.

Celtic open their Champions League campaign with a trip to Feyenoord on Tuesday next (live on RTÉ2), and Phillips is looking forward to building on the experience he gained in the competition with Liverpool.

The 26-year-old defender recently joined Celtic on loan from the Merseyside outfit, in a deal that runs until January.

"It is really exciting. It is probably the pinnacle of football for a lot of players," said Phillips of the upcoming Champions League experience.

"I have loved every time I have been out in the Champions League, it is obviously that next level, competing against the biggest and best in Europe.

"At Liverpool, those Champions League nights have a reputation for being special and I have heard it is the same at Celtic, so I am looking forward to experiencing that."

Atletico Madrid and Lazio are the other teams that will join Celtic in Group E of the Champions League, with each home and away encounter sure to be massive occasions for the club and its supporters.

Phillips has yet to line out for Brendan Rodgers' side, but he did get a taste of what it means to be a Celtic player, when he watched their recent Old Firm victory over Rangers from within the bowels of Ibrox Stadium.

With Celtic having rejected 700 tickets for the game at their arch-rivals' ground for safety reasons, Phillips remained in the hosts' media room, where he watched the 1-0 win for his new side on television. However, he still left at the end of the match desperate to make his debut, which could come against Dundee on Saturday.

"I was already really excited before that game but it certainly gave me a taste