Barca draw excites Lawwell

Chief executive ready to meet 2006 winners again

Last updated: 21st December 2007

gordon strachan

Strachan: Lawwell praise for boss

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Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell is relishing a UEFA Champions League last 16 encounter with Barcelona.

Friday's draw for the first knockout round of the competition pitted the Scottish champions against the 2006 winners.

Lawwell accepts Celtic have a tough task to progress, but he is looking forward to the Spanish giants' visit to Parkhead in February.

"It's an absolutely fantastic tie for us," Lawwell told Sky Sports News. "It's a formidable task clearly.

Great connection

"We have a great connection with the Barcelona people and we are looking forward to welcoming them back to Celtic Park. It's another great tie in store.

"Any team that we would have got in this draw we would have been the underdogs, but we relish being the underdogs.

"We are looking forward to a fantastic night and we hope to give a great account of ourselves. Our record against Barcelona is good and we hope we can get through.

"These are formidable games for Celtic and it's a huge task, but we go into the game with hope. We wouldn't be here unless we thought we could go through.

"We will be doing our damnedest. Gordon (Strachan) has done a fantastic job to get us in the last 16 for two years running, and we would be delighted for him, the coaching staff and the players to get through to the quarters."

Celtic knocked Barcelona out of the Uefa Cup in the 2003/04 season before meeting the Catalan side in the Champions League group phase the following campaign.