Lennon believes in competitive Celtic

Celtic manager Neil Lennon is confident his side can pose problems for their rivals in Group G of the UEFA Champions League this season.

The Scottish Premier League giants open their campaign with a home tie against Portuguese outfit Benfica on Wednesday as they return to Europe’s premier club competition for the first time since 2008-09.

And despite being involved in a tricky group that also involves Barcelona and Spartak Moscow, Lennon is adamant his side will not be easy beats.

“We don’t want to just be also-rans or make up the numbers,” Lennon said.

“We are going to compete in this group. I think we’re ready. We are a couple of players light in terms of injuries.

“But there is a huge motivation for this game and they (players) want to make their names in this competition.”

Celtic sit fifth on the standings in Scotland and slipped to a 2-1 defeat at St Johnstone on Saturday.

Lennon said he was disappointed with the performance and is demanding an improvement in front what is sure to be a noisy Celtic Park crowd.

Jorge Jesus is also sure that his side will put in a good performance, with confidence the word of the day for the Benfica coach.

“We are focused for the match against Celtic,” Jesus said.

“We are confident ahead of tomorrow and we have to show it on the pitch. But I will say again that we have a lot of confidence for this match.

“We believe in ourselves, and that gives us confidence. We are confident to play in this stage, we want to win and start the Champions League with a good result. “

Benfica striker Lima knows the atmosphere in Scotland will make red-hot but believes it will not be a factor in determining the outcome of the match.

“I don’t think that the atmosphere at Celtic Park will be an issue,” Lima said.

“The magnitude of Benfica speaks for itself. We have already faced difficult opponents and it is still eleven against eleven. The fans don’t play the match. We just have to play a great match and try to win the game.”