Christopher Jullien: Celtic can go all the way in Europa League

Celtic defender Christopher Jullien is confident about the team's Europa League chances. Picture: Craig Foy/SNS

The Scottish champions have already secured their place in the last 32 of the tournament with two games still to play in their Group E campaign which continues against Rennes at Celtic Park on Thursday night.

Neil Lennon’s squad still have the incentive of trying to win the group, something the Parkhead club has never previously done at this stage of either the Champions League or Europa League and which would see them seeded for the last 32 draw.

French defender Jullien has reiterated his confidence that Celtic, buoyed by their historic first win on Italian soil when they beat Lazio 2-1 three weeks ago, are now genuine contenders to reach the final in Gdansk next May and lift the trophy.

“Why not?,” said the 26-year-old. “I said it before we played the first match in the group – why not?

“We can believe it is possible (to win the Europa League) because we have the squad, we have the players and we have the mentality to go all the way.

“It would be amazing, for sure, for the club to do it. But we have to focus on the next game because football can go way too fast one way or the other.

“After we won away to Lazio, we enjoyed the moment but if we hadn’t then beaten Motherwell in our next game after that, it would have gone the other way for us.

“We are just staying in the good moment that we are in as a team right now. It would be really good for us to finish top of the group.

“We could make a little bit of history and it would be good for us in terms of the draw and everything else.

“Even if we have qualified already, it’s important to keep that going in these next two games against Rennes at home and then Cluj in Romania. Keep winning, keep the system, keep that winning feeling. That would be really good for us and we’re going to be trying our best to do it.”