IT ALL looked so promising the last time Dinamo Zagreb were seen around Celtic Park.

Sixteen years ago The Blues, then known as Croatia Zagreb, arrived in Glasgow in a Champions League qualifier against Dr Jo Venglos' Hoops side littered with talents such as Henrik Larsson, Paul Lambert and Jackie McNamara.

The visitors were no mugs either, with Zagreb containing future Celtic forward Mark Viduka and former Yugoslavia and Croatia international Robert Prosinecki.

In a tense first leg tie in Glasgow's east end on August 12, 1998, a single second-half Darren Jackson goal was enough to claim a win and a slice of confidence going into the return two weeks later.

It was optimism which would turn out to be misplaced, however, as the Croats won 3-1 on aggregate to send Celtic spiralling into the Uefa Cup.

Former Celtic and Scotland captain Tom Boyd played in both games, and can recall vividly how Zagreb ran the Hoops ragged in a fraught second leg.

And as the two teams get set to rekindle their rivalry on Thursday in the Europa League, he told SportTimes: "I remember the first game being fairly even. We took a one-goal lead over to Zagreb, but we knew it would be very difficult to get a result.

"We thought we had a wee chance having also kept a clean sheet at Parkhead.

"As it turned out it was a rude awakening for us as they were absolutely superb. They had top quality players in the team like Mark Viduka, Robert Prosinecki as well.

"They were excellent and it finished 3-0, but in truth it could have been far more with the chances they created and missed. We rode our luck and the result flattered us.

"They were all over us in terms of the pace of their game and their quality.

"I don't think we were quite playing at our best when we went over there, but they certainly gave us the runaround. We just couldn't cope."

Celtic's demise in the tie was overshadowed at that time by a player bonus dispute between the squad and Fergus McCann.

Boyd can remember the quarrel, but stressed it had little impact on their early exit from the Champions League.

"There was a disagreement between the board and Fergus over a win bonus but it had absolutely no influence on the game," he said.

"It just happened to be Zagreb were exceptional. As it turned out it didn't matter because we didn't get one!

"It was a good couple of games and we did think we had given ourselves a wee chance after the first leg. Unfortunately it didn't turn out that way.

"It was a big experience for us."

Boyd acknowledges, though, it will be a far different prospect for both Celtic and Dinamo 16 years on.

Neither side contain the depth of experience that they did the last time they squared up to one another, while both have had less than perfect starts to their respective campaigns.

The visitors come into the game at Celtic Park on the back of a 0-0 draw with HNL bottom-markers Slaven Koprivnica, while Ronny Deila's side have yet to fully click into gear.

However, Boyd has seen enough of Celtic recently to be confident they have what it takes to get a result on Thursday night, even if they need to do it without their in-form striker John Guidetti.

"I don't think Zagreb are quite at that level now. They were full of international stars and top level footballer players back then," recalled the former defender.

"It will be difficult on Thursday. I don't think Celtic are on the same level they once were either.

"There won't be much in it. It may well be just a one-goal victory that will see us all right but we need to make sure we get it right at the back and keep a clean sheet.

"I can see Celtic getting a victory at Parkhead. Dinamo looked impressive against Astra but with the backing of the fans at Parkhead it will be a different prospect for them."

He added: "Darren scored at Parkhead back in '98 and while we were happy, we would have preferred a couple more.

"On the balance of play we thought it was a good result and keeping a clean sheet would give us hope. It's different now, of course, because it's not over two legs.

"It changes the dynamic and the mindset. They still need to defend well on Thursday to give themselves a chance.

"The manager has not had his full squad ready yet because of injuries and John Guidetti not being eligible. He's scored a few goals recently so that will be a blow.

"Hopefully the manager will get the right team selection to help us get a victory."