SCOTT Bain reckons Celtic will draw confidence from the weekend’s 7-0 dismantling of St Johnstone on Flag Day at Paradise, but said he nevertheless expect a highly-contested encounter against CFR Cluj.

The Hoops face the Romanian champions in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League third qualifying round tonight (Wednesday), and Bain said he and his team-mates will give everything they have to bring a positive result home.

“It’s going to be a really difficult game. They like to work hard and put balls into the box,” said Bain ahead of this evening’s match. “We’ll need to strong defensively, and every man on the pitch will need to work hard on the night.

“I think any away game in Europe is a tough one. It’ll be a tough tonight, but we need to go full of confidence from the result we had at the weekend. We come in with a game-plan and hopefully we can stick to that and win.

“For us it’s a case of – if we want to make the Champions League, we need to get through these sorts of ties. We know it’ll be a challenge, but we’re in good shape.”

Seven goals from five different scorers on Saturday indeed sets Neil Lennon's men up well, and while Bain highlighted Cluj’s prowess in moving the ball from back to front at speed, he is confident the Scottish champions have what it takes to succeed.

He added: “I’m not really sure if it’s better to play away or at home first, but if we can get a result to take home, then that sets us up very well for the return leg.

“The fans love to follow the club. You can’t ask any more of them, and they always create a brilliant atmosphere, no matter their numbers, and we want to come away with a result for them.

“Cluj’s style of play is nothing that we haven’t come up against before, but these are ties that you need to win in order to get through to the ultimate prize. We need to be prepared to dig in but if we can perform to our highest level then we’ll be in good shape for the home leg.”

Bain: We’re confident from Flag Day but expect tough game in Cluj