Celtic midfielder Stuart Armstrong ready for Qarabag test

Celtic Stuart Armstrong

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Stuart Armstrong says Celtic are relishing the test of facing Qarabag in the third qualifying round of the Champions League on Wednesday.

The Bhoys cruised past Icelandic champions Stjarnan in the last round and now host the Azerbaijani outfit knowing that a victory could set them up nicely for the Group Stage play-offs.

Ronny Deila’s men are currently the clear 1.44 favourites to take a first leg advantage, with the draw 4.00 and the visitors the 8.00 outsiders.

It certainly will not be easy though, with Qarabag likely to arrive at Parkhead with the intention of frustrating their hosts ahead of the return match next week in Baku.

However, a strong performance from Celtic on Wednesday could all but kill the tie and give them extra time to focus on their Scottish Premiership opener against Ross County on Saturday.

Armstrong admits his side face a tricky test against Gurban Gurbanov’s men but believes that with the right amount of concentration, they will be able to claim a comfortable victory.

“These games are tough and it will be a challenge but one we are looking forward to,” he told the club’s official website. “We have watched a few things and prepared right and worked on a few things.

“It’s always a tough ask playing teams from different leagues with different styles of play and we just need to make sure we are at our best.”

“A 2-0 win would be very nice to have in the bag.”

As previously mentioned, the Scottish Premiership kicks off this weekend and the Bhoys are the massive 1.03 favourites to claim a fifth straight title, with Aberdeen their closest rivals at 21.00.

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