Gary Caldwell says that the team so cruelly dismantled by Manchester United can't afford to dwell on the negatives as they prepare to welcome the European Champions to Celtic Park for the return game in two weeks time.
As the dust settles following our Old Trafford mauling the central defender urged his team-mates to stand up and be counted for the November the 5th clash at Paradise. Amid jibes of 'men against boys' from respected professionals in England Caldwell said "What happened last night should not affect us when we play United at Parkhead in two weeks. Better teams than us have gone to Old Trafford and been taught a lesson. We can't hide away and crumble, we've got to stand and be men and come back from this."
Caldwell knows we will have to show a vast improvement on Tuesday nights performance to take anything from a game that could prove vital in the campaign. If we lose and Villareal defeat Aalborg in Denmark then our Champions League journey would be over.
"We want to keep our home record going but they are a very good side and it's going to be another tough night when they come to Glasgow." said Caldwell "We've always said getting to the Last 16 for the past two years were amazing achievements. We are punching above our weight at times. But we'll keep on doing that, keep on battling away and see where it takes us."
The big defender, Celtic's best player by a mile at Old Trafford, hopes that his team-mates have taken something on board from their recent Champions League outings "We're all hurting because we wanted to be in a better position." he said "We've had some harsh lessons this year and played some right good sides. We have to learn from that and get better. Quality at this level counts, and United had it all over the park. They are the best team in Europe."