Stuttgart lie in wait

SHAUN MALONEY can't wait for another crack at Stuttgart after Celtic were paired with them in the Europa League knockout playoff.

- BY RYAN MCDONALD

Hoops No.2 Maloney scored in a 3-1 win over the Germans as the Celts marched their way to the UEFA Cup final in 2003.

Martin O'Neill's men eventually claimed a dramatic 5-4 aggregate win after surviving a fightback in the second leg away from home.

And Maloney is relishing the prospect of renewing that European rivalry.

He said: "It's a tough draw but we've got a few games before that. It's something to look forward to, for sure."

Recalling that fourth-round clash 23 years ago, Maloney said: "It was a really big game. I remember the away leg just the same. It was like we were hanging on for dear life for the last five to 10 minutes. Yeah, brilliant time for the club and Martin gets to go back there.