Martin O'Neill hopes Lisbon has 'galvanising' impact on Celtic players
Last updated 14th Oct 2026
Martin O'Neill hopes playing in the city of Celtic's biggest ever achievement will have a 'galvanising' effect on his team.
The Hoops are in Portugal to take on Benfica in their second Europa League match of the campaign.
Thousands of supporters have made the journey and many queued to get inside Estadio Nacional - the ground where Billy McNeill lifted the European Cup almost 60 years ago.
O'Neill's side are looking for their first win of the competition after losing on matchday one to Ferencvaros, and he's keen for them to channel the spirit of their greatest day.
He said: "First of all we're looking forward to the game, it's a big match for us, it's great, it's lovely to be involved. Secondly, you're right about the history of the football club and its connection to Lisbon, so it's terrific I must admit, and it's something I think the football club should be really proud of.
"I think it's a separate entity in many aspects, from the viewpoint of this happened by next year, over 60 years ago, and it's a historical occasion, absolutely fantastic.
"I think a lot of the boys have seen the stadium from before, so I guess they're aware of the history, so maybe a combination of both would be lovely.
"It's really lovely, I must admit, it's something to look forward to, I think that just the whole history of it should be, as you mentioned, it should have a galvanising effect for us."
Cameron Carter-Vickers will miss the match with the defender yet to recover from a hamstring strain.
Camilo Duran did not travel with the rest of the squad due to the birth of his child, but could still make the trip to join the team before Thursday night.
Auston Trusty is back in contention after missing Sunday's win over Motherwell.
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