The woeful qualifying record Celtic must rectify

[BBC] For Celtic, failure to reach the Champions League this season would be a disaster. I know that might sound dramatic. But look at the record. Kairat Almaty last year. Midtjylland in 2021. Ferencvaros in 2020. Cluj in 2019. AEK Athens in 2018. Five consecutive Champions League qualifying campaigns. Five exits. Go back further and there were also defeats to Maribor in 2014 and Malmo in 2015, though Brendan Rodgers did buck the trend somewhat by overcoming Hapoel Be'er Sheva in 2016 and Astana in 2017. Those victories, however, remain the exceptions. Across Celtic's past nine Champions League qualifying campaigns, they have failed to make it through on seven occasions. Seven out of nine. That isn't bad luck. It isn't a freak result or two. It's a pattern - and an embarrassing one for a club of Celtic's size and resources. Any team can lose a football match. Upsets happen. Celtic have no divine right to beat anyone. But when you repeatedly fall against opposition you are expected to overcome, questions have to be asked about preparation, recruitment and ultimately ambition. Because that's what so much of this comes back to. Celtic have always wanted to be in the Champions League. Every club wants to be there. But wanting it and demonstrating the ambition required to get there are two very different things. And that ambition means pushing the boat out, making record signings, paying top dollar both in terms of transfer fees and wages, and fully backing your manager before these qualifiers. And on far too many occasions Celtic have got that wrong. This summer however - at least to an extent - feels different. It's not perfect. There are still obvious gaps. Arne Engels has left a significant hole in midfield, while additional cover at both full-back positions and goalkeeper would definitely be welcome. But Celtic have clearly prioritised attacking quality - and spent heavily to get it. Kasper Hogh, Camilo Duran and Mika Baur give Martin O'Neill significantly more firepower for this tie than Celtic have carried into some previous qualifiers. Haissem Hassan over time too will have an impact, though the suspicion is this one has come too soon for the Egypt winger. Last season's failure against Kairat was a painful reminder of what can happen when Celtic enter these games underprepared. This time there can be no excuses. The more I look at LASK and this tie though, the more confident I am Celtic will get the job done. They should believe they're the stronger side. And crucially, they should now have the required level of attacking quality to call upon when it matters most. Tino can be found at The Celtic Exchange