WHEN the draw was made for Europa League Group D, three would-be Champions League clubs found themselves pitched into a qualification battle none of them wanted.

Celtic, like Dinamo Zagreb and Red Bull Salzburg, were still licking their wounds after being tossed aside in the final push for a place among the 32 teams who would compete on the big stage on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

The only one of the quartet happy to face six Thursday ties was Astra Giurgiu, who had caused a shock by eliminating French giants Lyon to gain a place in the tournament.

Last season's Romanian league runners-up may have hoped to take advantage of the sense of anti-climax being felt by the champions of Scotland, Austria and Croatia.

But those thoughts were quickly dispelled and Astra enter the second half of the group matches trailing in last place, without a single point to show for their efforts so far.

Tonight, the race for a place in the last 32 could be over for them. For Celtic, though, it could be the night when they secure their spot in February's first knockout round.

A victory for Ronny Deila's side would seal qualification, provided Salzburg also win in Zagreb to join the Hoops on 10 points and beyond the reach of the group's other two teams.

That achievement is now tantalisingly close for the Hoops after the trauma of the Champions League qualifying campaign when they were eliminated, reinstated, then eliminated again.

The Europa League has been Deila's safe haven amid the maelstrom which has beset his initiation as Celtic manager, with two victories following on from their draw in Salzburg.

The knockout rounds are the immediate goal, whether they can be reached tonight or in either of the two games that will follow.

But there's a strong belief in the Parkhead camp that they can gain a longer-term bonus from this experience out of the spotlight of the Champions League where - had they found a way past Maribor to qualify - the consensus is they might have ended up demoralised.

The Europa League has only a fraction of the glamour, and the income, of the main event. But it still has some genuine value, as Celtic discovered four seasons ago.

Their boss at the time, Neil Lennon, used the competition to knock off the rough edges which had been exposed in the club's short and not-so-sweet European sojourn in his first season in charge.

Their group games in 2011 against Atletico Madrid - who, two seasons later, contested the Champions League final -Rennes and Udinese did not deliver a spot in the knockout rounds, but they did provide the launchpad from which the Hoops blasted into the last 16 of the Champions League just 12 months later.

Adam Matthews played in five of those six group matches and is hoping the experience gained now can prepare Celtic for another attempt at jousting with Europe's elite next year.

THE 22-year-old Welshman reckons the start they have made will allow them to go into tonight's game with justifiable confidence.

"We could hardly have asked for a better start in the Europa League," insisted the full-back, whose recent return to fitness has coincided with the club's run of good results.

"We have taken seven points from three games, and that's a strong position to be in. So the next match is a vital one.

"If we can get another three points, that would put us in a really good position to make it to the next stage."

Not that Matthews is taking anything for granted.

He would hate to see Celtic's promising start sacrificed on the altar of complacency.

And he saw enough good things from the Romanians a fortnight ago, when they made it tough for Celtic in Glasgow, to realise that victory tonight is not a given.

Matthews warned: "Astra are a neat and tidy team.

"They kept the ball really well, especially in the first half.

"I don't think we started too well and they had a couple of chances, so we were lucky to go in at the break tied at 0-0.

"However, we showed in the second half we can compete at this level."

While Astra now have home advantage - and remembering Celtic's struggles away from home in Europe in the past decade and more - what is in the Hoops' favour is the fact they are fully versed in what to expect from the holders of the Romanian Cup and Super Cup.

"It's going to be tough but we know what they are about now," said the defender.

"In the first game they were a bit of a surprise because we didn't know much about them.

"But we will be better prepared this time and, hopefully, we can get the win again."

Matthews is all too aware that, although qualification is a forlorn hope for the side from Giurgiu, Astra will still be very determined to get their first points on the board in front of their own supporters.

THE talented star, who joined Celtic in July, 2011, said: "Astra were never going to be the whipping boys, despite what some people may have thought. But if we play the way we want to, we can get the three points.

"With 10 points after four games, we'd have to be very unlucky not to go through.

"It is a tight group but, if we get the win, then it would look good for us."

Deila has admitted reaching the Europa League's last 32, after the club's Champions League nightmare, would be his first major achievement in his time as Parkhead boss.

The run of five wins in a row which they carry into tonight's game has breathed fresh hope and energy into the squad.

Matthews is relieved that, after a rocky start, everything is getting back on an even keel.

He added: "It was always going to take a bit of time for the new manager to get his views across.

"We played well in some of the games early on but didn't create much.

"Now we're playing well and starting to take our chances, and it's all starting to click.

"Having players back from injury is a big thing as well.

"So I think it has all come together really well now."