AS CELTIC were drawn to face Norwegians champions FK Bodo/Glimt in the Europa Conference League knockout round playoffs.
The immediate reaction by many of a green and white persuasion was to ask whether Celtic could win the inaugural 2021/22 Europa Conference League?
The question isn't as daft as it sounds.
There was no disgrace in Ange Postecoglou's men finishing third in their Europa League behind group winners and Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen and Spanish side Real Betis in UEFA's second-tier tournament.
In fact, the Germans are listed as one of the favourites to go all the way and lift the trophy in May.
Ironically Celtic's nine-point haul from the group stages would have seen them qualify in four other Europa League groups.
Due to the new format this year, Ange's men by virtue of finishing third secured European football after Christmas.
Bodo/Glimt will be no pushovers though.
READ MORE: Celtic draw FK Bodo/Glimt in Europa Conference League first knockout round
Celtic shouldn't underestimate them, at any cost.
The 104-year-old club clinched their second consecutive Norweigan League title at the weekend with a comprehensive 3-0 win against Mjondalen.
They broke a whole host of records in the process, winning the most games, scoring the most goals, recording the most wins in a season and taking the title by the biggest points margin to boot. They have also not lost a game since August.
The Norwegians famously inflicted the worst defeat on Jose Mourinho in his managerial career when they hammered his Roma team 6-1.
It was the first time that a side managed by Jose Mourinho had conceded six or more goals in over 1,000 games as a manager - Celtic and Ange have been warned.
The two-legged clash will begin in Glasgow on February 17 as Celtic were unseeded with the return leg being played away from home on February 24.
The winners of the tie will advance to the Round of 16 where the Europa Conference League group winners will then come back into the hat.
The ties for that round will take place in March.
For the first time since 1998 UEFA have included a tertiary European competition.
Back then it was the Champions League, European Cup-Winners Cup and UEFA Cup.
We still have the Champions League of course, but the Cup-Winners Cup and UEFA Cup have now been replaced with the Europa League and the Europa Conference League.
The final of the 2021/22 Europa Conference League will be played at the Arena Kombëtare in Tirana, Albania.
The winners of this season's Europa Conference League will automatically qualify for the 2022–23 UEFA Europa League group stage unless they manage to qualify for the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League group stage.
However, the original question still stands?
Can Ange's Celtic class of 2021/22 win the Europa Conference League?
The bookies don't seem to think so with the Aussie's men quoted at odds of 33/1.
If you know your history then you will be well aware that Celtic have made a habit of winning inaugural or one-off tournaments.
Dating back to the Navy and Army War Fund Shield victory in 1918 - a trophy that Celtic actually won but was never presented with - the club has had its trophy-laden moments.
In 1938, Celtic scooped the Empire Exhibition Cup.
The wonderful website Celtic wiki states: "Costing £10 million to stage, the exhibition was intended as a spectacular showcase of the British Empire – an empire which covered a quarter of the globe. A magnificent 300ft art deco tower was built on top of Bellahouston Hill and this stunning centrepiece of the exhibition would dominate the city’s skyline.
An impressive model of the Exhibition Tower – also known as Tait’s Tower after architect Thomas Tait – would be offered as a prize in a football tournament to commemorate the event."
The Empire Exhibition Trophy was a British championship with the cream of top clubs on both sides of the border invited to compete.
All games were played at Ibrox Park as that was near the original Bellahouston Park site.
Then Scottish champions, Celtic would line up alongside Rangers, Aberdeen, Hearts, Brentford, Everton, Chelsea and Sunderland.
The Hoops would defeat Sunderland and Hearts before seeing off Everton in the final.
In 1945, they claimed the one-off Victory in Europe Cup to celebrate the end of the Second World War. Rangers were invited but declined to participate due to a forthcoming cup tie against Motherwell. Queens Park stepped in to play Celtic who captured the silverware by virtue of winning one more corner kick after the two sides had drawn 1-1.
The Saint Mungo Cup was a one-off tournament held in Glasgow to celebrate the 1951 Festival of Britain. The competition was contested by all sixteen Scottish first division teams and was won by Celtic.
In 1953, Celtic waltzed off with the Coronation Cup.
Like the Empire Exhibition Cup in 1938, it was a one-off football tournament to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. Manchester United, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur represented England whilst Aberdeen, Celtic, Hibernian and Rangers represented Scotland.
Celtic defeated Arsenal and Manchester United before taking care of Hibs in the final.
This tournament was highly prestigious and it was a precursor to European football which would come into being in season 1955/56.
In 2009, Celtic became the first Scottish club to play at the revamped Wembley Stadium to compete in the inaugural Wembley Cup.
It featured Celtic, Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur, and Egyptian side Al Ahly.
Played over a weekend in July 2009, Celtic under Tony Mowbray's management captured the silverware when they beat Al-Ahly 5-0 on a Friday and then defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 on a Sunday.
There you have it!
History does indeed show that Celtic tend to do rather well in inaugural tournaments.
If Celtic can negotiate their way past Bodo/Glimt then the likes of the 1970's European Cup final foes Feyenoord, Roma, Rennes, LASK Linz, Gent, Copenhagen, Basel and Dutch side AZ who Celtic saw off in the Europa League qualifiers lie in wait.
There are some illustrious European names with a real pedigree but none that would strike fear and terror into the heart of Ange or the Celtic support.
After all, in three Europa League away group ties against Real Betis, Bayer Leverkusen and Ferencvaros, Celtic netted eight goals.
The club from Glasgow's East End took some 80,000 supporters to Seville back in 2003 for the UEFA Cup final under Martin O'Neill.
The Celtic faithful will be forgiven for dreaming that Ange and his men really could add another European trophy to their cabinet.
All roads lead to Albania in May.
It is no flight of fancy to suggest that Celtic would probably take similar numbers to Albania should they qualify for the final.
If you're a Celtic supporter who wouldn't want to be Partisan in Tirana?
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