Kris Boyd couldn’t help but take a cheeky swipe at Celtic’s recent European woes, though he was quickly corrected by Sky Sports presenter Rob Wotton after mixing up his facts.
The former Rangers striker appeared on Sky Sports’ Football Show to discuss Celtic’s upcoming Champions League clash with Slovan Bratislava at Parkhead.
Despite his light-hearted dig, Boyd did acknowledge that Brendan Rodgers’ side has a great chance to make a real impact in Europe this season.
Boyd admitted: “I think they’ve got more of a chance of qualifying because of the new format. With the home games, Celtic will fancy themselves to pick up some decent points.
“They’ve got some difficult away games, but you look at Dinamo Zagreb last night, Celtic have got to think ‘Can we go to Croatia and get something or beat them?’ Take RB Leipzig out of it, the other three home games gives Celtic a really good chance of picking up victories.”
However, Boyd soon shifted his focus to Celtic’s lack of success in reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League, where they’ve struggled for the past 12 years. With a grin, he said:
“I think the draw has been kind to them, the format has definitely enhanced their chances of qualifying for that knockout stage, shall we say? Celtic fans might get to see their team play in Europe after Christmas… it’s not happened for a while…”
Wotton, however, was quick to correct Boyd’s playful jab, pointing out that the new Champions League format guarantees Celtic’s campaign will run into January. He quipped:
“Yeah… the league goes beyond then. You naughty man.”
The exchange left Boyd grinning, but with Celtic’s European journey continuing well into 2025, it may be the Hoops who get the last laugh.