Neil Lennon demands Celtic and Rangers Euro reality check as he urges Ronaldo 'baloney' to be swerved

Omonia Nicosia boss Neil Lennon insists both Celtic and Rangers deserve leeway from punters despite their challenging starts to life in the Champions League.

The former Parkhead boss enjoyed three trips to the last 16 as a player and manager combined but he insists Ange Postecoglou and Gio van Bronckhorst need time to adapt to the world's leading club competition. Rangers have yet to land a point or score a goal but Lennon reckons the real triumph was dumping PSV Eindhoven out in the playoff round. And he has gone to bat for former side Celtic as he talked up their attacking endeavours despite defeats to Real Madrid and RB Leipzig.

Speaking on talkSPORT, he said: "There has to be a reality, every big club, Celtic and Rangers are no different, once you start getting success, the expectation level rises from supporters. And people expect them to go to Anfield and get a result. What you need is your goalkeeper to play well and Allan McGregor was unbelievable, I don't know why he wasn't playing from the start of the season. But, again, that is Gio's decision, he is just an unbelievable goalkeeper.

"I think, at home against Liverpool, they've been great at home in Europe and I think they will give Liverpool a real game. To get through (into tournament proper) was a massive bonus to win in PSV. You have just got to enjoy the ride because it is such a tough group. With Celtic, they've played particularly well in patches, they're finding it difficulty to put it all together, but that is to be expected. Because they are novices at it, it's been a few years since both teams have been playing at this level and it's a huge step up."

The 51-year-old was in a buoyant mood ahead of Omonia's mammoth Europa League encounter with