Lennon: Celtic ready for Juventus test

Celtic manager Neil Lennon believes his side is more than capable of beating Juventus and progressing further in the UEFA Champions League.

The Hoops host the Italian side at Celtic Park on Tuesday, and after their morale-boosting victory over Barcelona in the group stage, Lennon is confident that the his side has nothing to fear.

"When I took on the job I didn't imagine a game like this, when you consider where we were and the progress that we have made," Lennon told The Guardian. "What I did think at the start of the season was that if we could get through the qualifiers we could make inroads in the Champions League with the players that we had.

"We don't want to stop now at the last 16. We've got two titanic games against Juventus to look forward to and anything can happen over a two-game tie."

Celtic approaches the first leg on the heels of a 3-1 victory over Inverness, and winger Kris Commons, who scored during Saturday's win, is hoping for a massive occasion, with the recent result and the Barcelona victory still fresh on Celtic's mind.

"It feels like it's been a long time coming, probably about two and a half months, so I just hope it doesn't pass us by," Commons said. "We have to take the opportunity by putting in the kind of performance that we know we are capable of at Celtic Park.

"I don't think this is a tougher proposition than Barcelona. We fancy ourselves over the two legs. We're quietly confident."