Champions League group stages will be a huge task, says Craig Gordon
Craig Gordon insists it will take a "massive effort'' for Celtic to get through to the Champions League this season.
Last updated 25th Jul 2018
The Hoops have qualified for the past two years but this time have to negotiate four rather than three qualifiers to reach the group stages.
After beating Armenian outfit Alashkert 6-0 on aggregate the Scottish champions face Rosenborg, with the first leg of the second qualifying round at Parkhead on Wednesday night and AEK Athens awaiting the winners of the tie.
"We've drawn some difficult teams in the opening two rounds,'' said the 35-year-old goalkeeper.
"It was a challenge to go away and play in the heat against Alashkert for our first competitive game and we've got another very difficult one right off the back of it.
"These games are not decided by a great deal, and there's not a great deal between the teams, so it's a massive effort for any team to get through four qualifying rounds and into the Champions League.
"It's a good quality opposition that we're coming up against. They have the experience and knowledge of how to get there, the teams that are really well matched and in any given game anything can happen.
"We've put in a lot of hard work and with that, that'll give you the confidence.
"We've prepared well, we've had a week's lead into this one so everyone's ready to go.''
Celtic beat Rosenborg in the penultimate qualifier last season but it took a briliant strike from James Forrest in the second leg in Trondheim to send Brendan Rodgers' side through 1-0 on aggregate.
Gordon expects another tough test from the Norwegians, who will have Academy director Rini Coolen in charge after Kare Ingebrigsten and his assistant Erik Hoftun were sacked following the narrow win over Valur of Iceland.
"We know what we're going to do,'' said the Scotland keeper.
"We've worked on a few things that we want to try and do in the game. We've had a six or seven-day lead in, so it's enough time to put some preparation in.
"We've not changed a great deal from that meeting and neither have they.
"Both teams will know what they're coming up against, and the two teams on the last showing were fairly evenly matched.
"It was a difficult game for us, and if we want to get through this time, we're going to have to play very well.'