The only way that Celtic can approach the game against Valencia is to believe that they can win it.

That might look fairly improbable at the minute and, certainly, there was scant evidence in the opening leg to suggest it is a viable probability.

But, as a manager and as a player you cannot go into any game thinking that defeat is a formality.

And before you get to tactics or personnel, the first thing that you have to do is create the right kind of mentality. And that means finding belief that it is possible to engineer a result.

I think it will be a difficult night, but what you will find out in the opening 15-20 minutes is whether or not Celtic can go and cause a little bit of unrest within Valencia.

If they lose an early goal, it is an exceptionally long night. The only thing that might work in their favour is the fact that Valencia and their support will expect this game to be little other than a walk into the next round.

Publicly, of course, the Spaniards won’t come out and say that but there will be a feeling that they pretty much sealed their progress with the first leg win last Thursday night. Their support will be turning up expecting to see them turn on the style.

I also felt that in the opening leg of the tie that Oliver Burke looked like a winger playing as a centre-forward. I don’t think he looked comfortable in the position at all.

It is one thing doing it in the league and deputising there but it is another thing altogether to be doing it in a European tie.

So that really only leaves Odsonne Edouard to go and lead the line, unless there is consideration given to matching the 4-4-2 that Valencia played in Glasgow and going with two strikers.

I think Edouard has blown hot and cold this season, although I would say that I think the boy is a quality striker. He doesn’t lead the line in the same way that Moussa Dembele did but he is quick and he has ability.

For me, he has to work on holding the ball up better. In that firsts leg, Celtic had no one to do that and Burke, whom I had a bit of sympathy for, was completely isolated.

The other big issue was the manner in which the midfield were continually overpowered, despite having a numerical advantage with the systems both teams played, and the way they kept giving the ball away.

If there has to be any change in the tie then the passing has got to be better, the concentration has got to be better, the pressing, the crossing, all of it has to be to a much higher standard.

I also don’t expect to see Emilio Izaguirre start the game in the Mestalla either. I can understand why the Honduran started the first game because he is a natural left-back but, and I would stress that there were few players who came out of the game with too much credit, he was desperately poor. He offered little either in a defensive or attacking sense and I suspect that it will be Jonny Hayes who is handed the starting jersey for the game.

Which brings us to just how missed Kieran Tierney has been. I think you really noticed it in the opening leg. I am not suggesting that it might have affected the outcome of the tie overall but what you do notice, and it is unusual given his age, that so many players on the pitch feed off his energy and enthusiasm.

His ability to get up and down that flank is key to the way that Celtic play at times. The suggestion from Brendan Rodgers this week that he will be back in the team at some point for Sunday’s game against Motherwell can only be good news as he starts his journey back to full match fitness.

Another big miss has been Filip Benkovic too. I think the boy is a cracking centre-half, probably the most commanding central defender Celtic have had since Virgil van Dijk. But his remarks that he is definitely returning to the Premier League at the end of the season makes you think on a number of fronts.

One is that Celtic are going to have a substantial job to do in the transfer market this summer with Dedryck Boyata also set to move on. It will need to be a busy summer but I just wonder too if there is any point in Benkovic hanging around now until the end of the season. He might be as well just going back to Leicester now.