CALLUM MCGREGOR says it will take the perfect performance from Celtic if they are to overcome their two-goal deficit against Bodo/Glimt tonight and progress to the last 16 of the UEFA Conference League.

Ange Postecoglou’s side were stunned by the Norwegian champions at Celtic Park last week as they fell to a 3-1 defeat, and travel to the Arctic Circle with it all to do in the second leg of the tie.

McGregor takes heart from the goals that Celtic have scored on their travels on the continent so far this season, but knows they can’t afford the defensive lapses that have also been punished severely when taking on European opposition, shipping 15 goals in six away matches so far.

When asked if Celtic would have to be perfect at each end to go through, McGregor said: “Yes, I think so. We can’t afford to make mistakes. We have to score three and be perfect at the back.

“That’s the challenge, but it’s a good challenge.

“We seem to rise to these challenges when they come along and that’s what we’ll need to do again.

“We’ll go for it as much as we can.

“That’s the way the manager wants us to play. He wants us to be aggressive no matter who we are playing and take the game to the opposition and implement our style onto a game.

“This game will be no different.

“We’ve spoken about trying to overturn the lead and it will be a difficult task.

“To get through, we pretty much have to be perfect in the sense that we don’t concede and we can get three goals to take us through.

“That’s the challenge and all we can do is prepare as well as we can, give absolutely everything and do everything the manager wants us to do. If we do those things correctly, we have a chance to get through.”

McGregor, like his manager, is desperate to prolong Celtic’s European adventure past this evening, believing the exposure to such a standard of opposition has helped the squad to improve hugely from where they were at the start of the season.

“I think when you get a group of players and young players as well, there are not that many clubs around Europe where you get the chance to play European football consecutively every year,” he said. “You do get that at Celtic and it is brilliant exposure for the players.

“When you get young players and new players in, there isn’t a magic formula from day one to say we’re going to be ready.

“You need to make your mistakes, have your good games and bad games, always be learning within it and, hopefully within that, there comes a point where you level off and you feel comfortable playing in those competitions.

“There is still a lot of growth left in these players. We seemed to get better as our Europa League campaign went on.

“This game is another new challenge as a group and as players, so we’re looking forward to it and, hopefully, we can put in a performance that can get us through.

“You grow as people, you see different cultures, you go and see the set ups of different clubs in different countries and that’s a good thing to see.

“In football, you are always learning. No matter what level you get to, you see new things and absorb as much of it as possible.”