Celtic midfielder Callum McGregor has revealed that his side will travel to Kazakhstan two days early in order to get a feel for the place before their Champions League match against local side Astana.
The Hoops survived a scare to beat Gibraltar part timers Lincoln Red Imps 3-0 and 3-1 on aggregate in the Champions League second qualifying round earlier this week.
A new challenge though awaits them in the form of Astana, whom they are set to visit next Wednesday.
According to the 23-year-old, there is no question of taking the match lightly as the Blue and Yellows are known to pose a serious threat as they showed last season.
However, the youngster is also confident about countering the threat, insisting that the purpose of visiting the country two days prior is just for that reason.
relatedNewsStory
"I know they got to the Champions League last year and by all accounts they did well. We know they are going to be a tough opponent", McGregor was quoted as saying by STV.
"Teams in that sort of area are getting better and obviously they proved that last year by getting to the Champions League.
"Obviously it's far to travel and it's a plastic pitch, so we just need to make sure we are ready for that test.
"We are travelling a couple of days early so we can get there and get a feel for the place.
"You need to try to be ready for everything that comes your way, on the preparation side and the training pitch.
"Everything needs to be spot-on. There is not much room for error in these qualifiers so we need to do everything we can to be ready for them."
Prior to the match though the Scottish champions are scheduled to take on the English champions Leicester City in a friendly tomorrow.
