It would be safe to say that Martin O'Neill did a brilliant job getting Celtic into the knockout phase of the Europa League, where they will now play VfB Stuttgart in a play-off tie. The club have a mixed record against Bundesliga sides in recent times. They lost 7-1 to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League last season but then defeated RB Leipzig, and played out a narrow 3-2 play-off tie against Bayern Munich, even drawing at the Allianz Arena.

Of course, the previous season feels a lifetime ago, considering everything that has happened over the past year or so. That being said, it would be a mistake to count Celtic out, going into this tie, especially with O'Neill's ability to get a result in Europe.

Sitting in the opposite dugout will be Sebastian Hoeness. He recently spoke of his experience at Celtic Park, albeit from the stands.

Hoeness was the coach of the Bayern Munich Under-19s side who played against Celtic in the UEFA Youth League back in 2017. He would then head to Parkhead to see the two senior sides play each other, with the Hoops losing 2-1 on that occasion.

It did give Hoeness a taste of the Parkhead atmosphere that he does not appear to have forgotten, even almost a decade later. As reported by the Daily Record, the current Stuttgart boss said: 

"There was just enough time to drive to Glasgow and make the kick off after the Youth League game.

"The atmosphere is incredible and it was a fantastic experience. Jupp Heynckes was the manager and it was a tough game.

"It's difficult, but highly motivating to play there.

"But we go there with confidence because we are in good form right now."

Stuttgart are certainly a team in form at the moment. They currently sit in 4th in the Bundesliga as Hoeness' side are overdelivering on all expectations so far in this campaign. They have won five of their last six games across all competitions and lost just two of their previous 14 matches.

On the other hand, Celtic are a team getting results right now as well, even though their performances have not always been brilliant. They have won eight of their previous ten games since O'Neill replaced Wilfried Nancy. Also, it is worth mentioning that the Hoops did not lose any of those matches, with the only two draws coming after they had a player sent off while in winning positions.

So, this week's matchup at Celtic Park is expected to be a close contest between two sides in good form. If the Hoops are to win, they will need to make the most of the incredible Parkhead atmosphere on the night.

Roundtablesports is Free to join! You can post your own thoughts, comment on articles, and start conversations with our Roundtable Writers. Scroll up to the top of the page and click 'Join'.

Download the FREE Roundtable APP, and get even easier access to your favorite teams and news!