Brendan Rodgers has delivered his verdict on Celtic's upcoming Champions League play-off against Kairat Almaty.
The Parkhead side will welcome the Kazakh champions to Glasgow's east end for the first leg next Wednesday before navigating an ominous 7,073-mile round trip the following Tuesday for the return tie in Almaty.
"Of course, everyone would have preferred a shorter travel distance," admitted Rodgers [Celtic TV]. "But it was not always going to be the case.
"They get through, they win the tie. We'll play our first game over two legs, and our objective is to get through.
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"We can really analyse them now and be prepared for that for the first leg next week."
Kairat defeated Slovan Bratislava, a side Celtic faced in the Champions League last season, on penalties to reach the play-offs.
"It'll be a tough tie," said captain Callum McGregor.
"The travel and everything will come into that, and the preparation. We have the home game first. We want to try and maximise that against any opponent, but even more so now, that we try to do the absolute maximum to get a result at home and negotiate the travel.
"It's a tough team and it'll be a tough tie. A good tie for us, but one that we'll have to be at our best in to go through."
Before the Kairat clash comes into view, Celtic take on Falkirk in the last 16 of the Premier Sports Cup on Friday evening.
