Celtic midfielder Ryan Christie feels the Bhoys’ pre-season friendlies in France will help the squad in getting back to shape quickly, as they will be facing teams of a high standard.
The Hoops will face Ligue 1 sides Nice and Lyon as part of the Veolia Trophy at the Groupama Stadium in Lyon, which will be followed by a clash against French champions Paris Saint-Germain.
Celtic open their Scottish Premiership season at home against Hamilton on 2nd August as they aim for an historic tenth top flight title in a row.
Christie believes his side will be back to full match shaprness a bit quicker than usual as they will be facing opposition of a high calibre during pre-season.
He admits he sees Celtic as a club with great standards and stressed he wants his side to test themselves against teams who also play at a high level, as he thinks it provides them with a good opportunity.
“These games are definitely going to be tough”, Christie told Celtic’s official site.
“But that’s the level we see ourselves as a club and a team so these games will be great for us.
“It’s good to test yourself against the best at every chance you get.
"The friendlies will be the first proper games for us and we’ll take a lot out of those games.
“We’re not going in against a lower league team or anything like that.
"The opposition we’ll be facing are of a very high level and that’ll definitely help get us back into match fitness quicker.”
Christie made 24 appearances in the Scottish Premiership in the 2019/20 season, helping his side to win the league with 11 goals and 11 assists.
