This really is now or never for Celtic this season in Europe. Nothing less than in a win against Lazio in Rome on Tuesday night is required to keep their hopes alive of being involved in continental football after Christmas.

Despite taking one solitary point from their four matches in Champions League Group E – a 2-2 home draw against Atletico Madrid – Celtic can still finish second in this pool and advance to knockout stages. It would take an unlikely set of results: Celtic to beat Lazio, Atletico not to lose on the same night against Feyenoord in Rotterdam and then Celtic to overcome the Dutch at Celtic Park next month while Atletico beat Lazio in Madrid. And that’s before you factor in head-to-head scorelines and goal difference.

Perhaps the word unlikely should be replaced with unfathomable. Celtic have not won away from home at this juncture of the Champions League since September 2017 when they took down Anderlecht 3-0 in Brussels. Brendan Rodgers was the manager, Callum McGregor and James Forrest came on as subs. Since then, their only group-stage victories on the road in any of UEFA’s three competitions have come against Rosenborg, Ferencvaros and – Lazio.

Celtic players fall to the floor after conceding a late goal against Lazio.

The 2019 2-1 triumph at the Stadio Olimpico, sealed by a late Olivier Ntcham goal, is Celtic’s best recent result on the road in Europe. A repeat scoreline would at the very least keep their aspirations of finishing third and dropping down into the Europa League in tact. Atletico have eight points, Lazio seven, Feyenoord six and Celtic one. No margin for error.

Celtic have had their moments in this campaign. They were excellent against Atletico on a supercharged night in Glasgow and will feel hurt by losing to Lazio at home, when Pedro headed home a stoppage-time winner for Maurizio Sarri’s team not long after the hosts had a potential winner chalked off for offside. Beating Feyenoord last time out has qualification destiny in I Biancocelesti’s own hands. Their European form masks a poor campaign so far in Serie A, with last season’s runners-up currently sitting 11th and losing away at Salernitana at the weekend. Celtic have travelled to far superior teams recently.

Yet the displays in Madrid and Rotterdam – and those of previous campaigns – do sound alarm bells. Keeping 11 men on the pitch would be a good start, given Gustaf Lagerbielke, Odin Thiago Holm and Daizen Maeda have been sent off across those away days. The Japanese forward, now injured, will be a big miss in Roma due to his pace and aggressive pressing traits.

Maligned for not winning a Champions League match last season against Real Madrid, RB Leipzig and Shakhtar Donetsk, time is running out for Rodgers to improve on Ange Postecoglou’s effort and have European football next year, which was one of the club’s targets when this campaign began. Nobody is truly expecting Celtic, with the finances and opponents put against them, to reach the last 16 of this blue riband competition but at the same time, taking a scalp should not be beyond them.

Celtic's Kyogo Furuhashi celebrates after scoring the opener against Atletico Madrid in Glasgow.

The away-day monkey is something this Celtic team would like to remove off their backs. Some of the football on show in the Champions League from them has been decent. But in a results business, now is the time to stand up and be counted.

Celtic's last roll of dice approaches in bid to get monkey off back - taking scalp should bot be beyond them