GIOVANNI TRAPATTONI predicts that Celtic will reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League next season. The Italian, now in charge of the Salzburg Red Bull franchise, has not been surprised by the strides made under Gordon Strachan. Indeed, he is convinced the acquisition of Massimo Donati from AC Milan will sustain the improvement.

Describing Celtic as one of the genuine powers on the continent, Trapattoni admitted his only surprise was that it has taken them so long to return to the elite end of club football after becoming the first British club to win the European Cup.

"They are up there near the very top of European football, on a par with the Italian, English and Spanish sides.

I definitely think they can go to the quarter-final stage. They reached the last 16 last year and only lost to a great team like AC Milan."

Trapattoni played almost 300 games between 1959 and 1971 during his heyday at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium and mastered the role of defensive midfielder. His remit was to afford creative influences the security to express themselves, just as Donati's presence will provide a support network for Shunsuke Nakamura and Aiden McGeady.

"Massimo was one of the best players at youth level in the national team," he said. "I knew about him eight years ago and he was always very impressive. He is a good personality and is still young enough to do well with Celtic. He can play confidently and has everything needed to succeed in the Scottish game.

"Why did it not work out for him at AC Milan? He was not a big star. In football you have fantasy players, the creative ones, but Massimo is the kind of player I was: he is solid, like concrete, and that is what is needed in Scotland."