HISTORY has a habit of repeating itself. As Pedro Caixinha tells us, everything runs in cycles after all…

Sixteen years ago, Celtic were standing on the verge of a European milestone just a couple of months after a season of domestic dominance. Sound familiar?

Martin O’Neill had been the club’s manager for a year, bringing an entertaining brand of football with him along with a treble. With just one hurdle left to jump in the form of Ajax, a tight-knit squad was within touching distance of the stage many of them had longed for.

Lubo Moravcik was one of them.

Two goals up after 20 minutes through Bobby Petta and Didier Agathe, a Shota Arveladze goal just before half-time was not enough to knock Celtic off their stride as a Chris Sutton effort in the second half brought a 3-1 lead back to Celtic Park for the return leg. Despite a 1-0 defeat in Glasgow two weeks later, O’Neill’s men held their nerve in what is still looked back on as a famous victory for that iconic team.

“We had a very good season and a very good team. We were confident,” Moravcik told SportTimes.

“It was a good experience for us. The guys in our team had played for the likes of Chelsea [Sutton], Arsenal [John Hartson] and they had a big chance that year to qualify.

“We won the first game in Amsterdam and lost the return in Glasgow but the damage wasn’t good enough to stop us. We just had a very good team.

“I came on with 15 minutes to go but I remember having confidence in those around me. It was a strong group and it showed.”

That would just be the start of a memorable European adventure for Celtic that season, even if they didn’t make it out of a tough Champions League group. Three home wins against Porto, Rosenborg and, of course, that remarkable 4-3 triumph against Juventus took O’Neill’s side to nine points but it wasn’t enough to see them progress.

Still, it was still a red-letter experience for Moravcik who, at the age of 36, had yearned to hear the Champions League music ring in his ears.

“Playing in the Champions League was very special to me. It’s a fantastic competition.

“It’s good money for the club, it’s an opportunity for the players in Europe against good opposition. For me we had Porto, we had Juventus. Those were fantastic nights.

“Now if Celtic get into the groups there will be six fantastic games waiting on them. Three at home and three away, each and everyone of them will be memorable for the Celtic players. They can get a lot out of it.

“I spent a large part of my career looking at the Champions League and wondering what it would be like to play in it.”

A generation on and Moravcik, now 52, can see the comparison between the situations he faced and that of the modern day Celtic team. Not just that, he can recognise a likeness in his iconic squad to the one Brendan Rodgers will lead into battle with Astana in the Champions League play-off round first leg at Celtic Park tomorrow night.

“You have to be mentally strong. That strength had been built up through the 2000/2001 season, we’d played very well,” he said.

“Our setup was perfect. We were a strong team, mentally and physically. We had a duty to qualify because we had a great atmosphere in the club and in the dressing room. It was very important for us to qualify and everything was perfect for us to go through.

“It’s a very similar season that Celtic have just had compared to back then when Martin had just had his first season. We qualified and I think Celtic now are in the same situation.

“The draw is good for them. Astana are good and can be very dangerous, but Celtic are still strong enough to beat them and qualify.

“It’s the same situation that we had back then in 2001.”

Moravcik is a fan of what he sees at Celtic these days, even if they are going into a crucial game without Moussa Dembele, a player the former Parkhead wizard rates as a top, top talent.

However, even with the Frenchman absent, he believes the unity in Rodgers’ dressing room, couple with the talent in attacking areas, will be enough for the Scottish champions to beat their Kazakhstan counterparts for the second year in a row to reach the group stages once again.

It will not be an easy task, but one that is achievable.

“I’m sure the Astana team is very strong with very good players but Celtic have quality,” said Moravcik. “Up front Dembele is good and if they keep him he will be a real asset when he returns from injury. Scott Sinclair scored goals last season and you also have Tom Rogic.

“These are all good quality players and they want to play in this competition. It’s an opportunity for them, for any player getting into the Champions League is a one-off objective.”