Callum McGregor calls on Celtic to stick together during tough period

Callum McGregor believes everyone at Celtic has to stick together after the Hoops' Champions League aspirations ended in Athens on Tuesday.

A 2-1 defeat by AEK Athens, on the back of a 1-1 first-leg draw, saw the Scottish champions drop down to the Europa League, where they will play either Latvian side Spartaks Jurmala or Lithuanians Suduva in the play-offs.

The exit came against the backdrop of tension between Brendan Rodgers and the Celtic board over their transfer policy, and amid controversy over the absence of Dedryck Boyata.

The Belgium defender posted a video of himself getting treatment on the day of the game, insisting he was not fully fit, but Rodgers insisted he was fit to play.

And on the back of a 1-0 defeat at Hearts on Saturday, McGregor noted unusually negative times for the Hoops, but urged unity.

“We have had a lot of success over the last couple of years, it is a new test for the boys and the management team and the fans as well,'' he told BBC Scotland.

“They are so used to success and once you get two bad results in a week, the players know they are up against it and we have to come out fighting and show we are good players and why we have been successful.

“This is a time for the club to stick together.

“We are massively disappointed not to be going through. Performance-wise we dominated over the two games but at the highest level you have to defend properly and we shot ourselves in the foot and we paid the big price for it.

“We are out of the Champions League and we have to eventually learn that when we come away to places like Athens we have to defend properly.

“You have to stay in the game away from home but it didn't work out like that.

“We lost a soft goal and we were up against it but credit to the boys, once it went 2-0 we had a bit of a rally and could maybe have nicked it at the end but it wasn't to be and, as I say, you get punished at this level for those mistakes.''

McGregor and his Hoops team-mates return to Betfred Cup duty away to Championship side Partick Thistle on Saturday before the first leg of their Europa League play-off tie next Thursday.

“We are really frustrated and disappointed,'' said the Scotland midfielder.

“But once the dust settles, we have to go again and pick ourselves up and remember that we have been successful and we need to keep striving towards that and get better every week.''

Defender Mikael Lustig admitted the Champions League defeat had been “tough to take''.

“I think we played good football both home and away but we need to score more and we need to defend better,'' the Sweden international told STV.

“It was hard to take but you need to bounce back, that's what makes a team a really good team, if you can manage to bounce back.

“We have lost two games in a row and we need to get back on the horse.'

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