Celtic v VfB Stuttgart – Martin O’Neill’s 1000th game milestone

Celtic Park will provide the stage for a slice of managerial history on Thursday evening when Martin O’Neill takes charge of his 1,000th competitive fixture, a Europa League play-off first leg against Bundesliga high-fliers VfB Stuttgart.

The 74-year-old only discovered the impending landmark yesterday, when the League Managers Association alerted him to the tally. “I’ve never counted the games,” O’Neill admitted. “When the LMA told me, it came as a big surprise. It’s nice, and I have to thank Celtic—otherwise it wouldn’t have happened.”

The milestone match arrives against opponents who sit fourth in Germany’s top flight and occupy a Champions League berth. “Stuttgart are flying,” O’Neill warned. “They’re very strong physically and have a lot of good players. It’ll be difficult, but while we’re here, let’s give it a go.”

Celtic’s route to the knockout phase has already exceeded expectations. After opening the group with a sobering defeat away to Midtjylland, the Scottish champions regrouped to claim a morale-boosting victory at Feyenoord and battled 10-man Bologna before edging past Utrecht to secure second place. “If you’d offered me this position after Midtjylland, I’d have taken long odds,” O’Neill said. “But we’re here now and we might as well have a proper go.”

The manager’s immediate priority is to end a 22-year wait for a European knockout tie win—Celtic’s last came in 2004 when O’Neill himself oversaw a famous aggregate triumph over Barcelona. “I didn’t realise it had been that long,” he joked. “I wasn’t around for the intervening years, so please don’t blame me!”

O’Neill believes January reinforcements have strengthened the squad. Striker Tomáš Čvančara, signed from Borussia Mönchengladbach, scored a dramatic late winner against Kilmarnock on Sunday and created the decisive goal versus Hearts, while Junior Adamas netted against Dundee. “They’ve all played little parts,” O’Neill said. “By the end of the season I hope they’ve made a mark.”

The comeback at Rugby Park—Celtic trailed 2-0 at the interval before prevailing 3-2—was fuelled, according to O’Neill, by the supporters massed behind the goal. “The fans played a significant role,” he stressed. “That second-half fight-back was tremendous.”

Yet sections of the Celtic support remain at odds with the club hierarchy. Fan media outlets, including The Celtic Star, are currently barred from Parkhead press duties, and some supporter groups have had access restricted. “A full house here is something special,” O’Neill conceded. “The sooner there is unity at Celtic Park, the better for all concerned.”

On the touchline opposite O’Neill will be Sebastian Hoeneß, the Stuttgart coach who has transformed last season’s relegation play-off survivors into genuine top-four contenders. The pair have never met, though O’Neill recalls facing Stuttgart during the 2002-03 UEFA Cup, when Celtic edged through 5-4 on aggregate en route to the final in Seville. “Way back in 2003 we had two great games,” he reflected. “We were a fine side then, and tomorrow we’ll need to be at our best again.”

Asked whether his current squad can cope with the twin demands of Europe and a relentless domestic schedule, O’Neill struck a cautious tone. “By 2003 I knew my squad inside out,” he said. “Here, I’m still learning. But I don’t want us to be fearful. We’ll go in with confidence and try to get off to a half-decent start.”

Whatever the outcome, the night will belong to O’Neill. One thousand matches, countless memories, and one more European occasion beneath the lights of a stadium that has shaped so many of them. “The next game is always the most important,” he smiled. “Tomorrow, that feels especially true.”

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