Euro-Vision

Kristoffer Ajer has his sights set on the UEFA Champions League group stages

- Tony Connelly

LAST year Kristoffer Ajer came close to having the chance to play in the Champions League group stages, and this season the Norwegian defender is determined to apply the lessons learned from the painful experience to ensure he can help his side get over the line and back playing on the biggest stage of them all.

Having broken into the Celtic first-team in the second half of the 2017/18 season, Ajer quickly became a regular in the starting XI so when the 2018/19 campaign rolled around he was part of the team tasked with helping the Scottish champions through qualification for the Champions League.

Ajer played every minute of both legs of the first and second round rounds as Celtic swept aside Alashkert and then Rosenborg. He was involved in the home leg of the third-round tie against AEK Athens which ended 1-1. Unfortunately, he was unable to play a part in the return leg in the Greek capital where Celtic exited after a narrow 2-1 defeat.

“I was suspended for the second leg of the AEK Athens game last season,” said Ajer in an exclusive interview with the Celtic View. “I didn’t travel with the team so I had to watch the game from home. It was a really sad night and I felt bad for the boys because we had worked so hard to get that far.

“We accept the reality of the outcome, though. We didn’t perform well enough at home first so it was always going to be a difficult away game.”

The disappointment from that will serve as fuel in the fire for this year’s efforts to secure a place in the group stages. Reflecting on the experience has helped Ajer and the rest of the players involved learn from their mistakes and the Celtic defender believes they will be stronger and better prepared for the hurdles they will face this year.