THE Lisbon Lions are returning to the scene of Celtic's greatest triumph - 47 years after lifting the European Cup.

The eight survivors of the first British side to claim the trophy, and squad members, will be the guests of Celtic at this season's Champions League final.

It is the first time the final of Europe's most prestigious club prize has been played in Lisbon since the Hoops defeated Inter Milan 2-1 in 1967.

Billy McNeill and Co will revisit the Estadio Nacional, enjoy a gala dinner at the hotel they used as their base camp in Estoril, and attend the final itself.

During the weekend in May, they will also present a charitable donation to the city as a thank you for the hospitality shown to the thousands of fans who made the trip in '67.

Chief executive Peter Lawwell said: "We felt it would be a fitting honour to invite the Lions to Lisbon for such an occasion.

"These are great men who achieved great things for our club. We felt it would be a real and meaningful tribute to make this invitation to the Lions, the families of those players who sadly are no longer with us and, of course, the families of the great Jock Stein and Sean Fallon.

"The Lions are men of real humility and are always humble about their great success."

Lions captain McNeill continued on celticfc.net: "This is a magnificent gesture by the club and one which is greatly appreciated by all the boys and the families of everyone connected to the team."