Cameron Carter-Vickers believes Celtic’s impressive 3-1 win over RB Leipzig is a clear statement that they deserve to be considered among Europe’s top clubs in the Champions League.
The American defender feels it was one of the best performances he has witnessed during his four years at Celtic. Despite experiencing some heavy defeats in previous Champions League campaigns under both Ange Postecoglou and Brendan Rodgers, Carter-Vickers is confident that this current squad has learned from those setbacks and is now more equipped to compete at the highest level.
Although Celtic suffered a 7-1 loss to Borussia Dortmund in a previous season, they have since made progress, drawing away to Atalanta and defeating Leipzig. Coupled with their opening win over Slovan Bratislava, Celtic have earned seven points from their first four matches, giving them a genuine chance of reaching the knockout rounds or play-off stages.
Carter-Vickers explained, “We’ve been in the Champions League for three years now, and it’s been a process of learning for us as a club. Now, we feel ready, and the belief within the group has grown. We know we can perform at this level; it’s about repeating that consistently and continuing to improve.”
The 26-year-old acknowledged that while Celtic have performed well in the group phase so far, there is still work to be done. Brendan Rodgers aims for the play-off round, but Carter-Vickers believes if they can maintain Tuesday’s level of performance, they could secure automatic progression.
He said, “It’s hard to say. We’ve been taking it one game at a time, and we don’t have enough points yet to say we’re through the group. We just need to keep performing at our best. Like we showed against Leipzig, if we do that, we can get a result.”
Looking ahead to their remaining fixtures, which include matches against Club Brugge, Young Boys, Dinamo Zagreb, and Aston Villa, Carter-Vickers understands that Celtic Park will be crucial to their ambitions. He praised the fans, saying, “The atmosphere is incredible before every Champions League game, and that really lifts us. After Leipzig scored, we had to weather a bit of pressure, but the fans helped us through it. After that, we were excellent.”
Celtic’s next challenge comes away to Kilmarnock in the league, where they’ll aim to extend their lead over Aberdeen. Although Celtic had an emphatic 6-0 win over their rivals in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final, Carter-Vickers believes the Leipzig victory was an even more impressive result.
He said, “Last weekend was great, but the Leipzig game was on another level. They’re a top team, sitting second in the Bundesliga. To perform like we did shows we can compete at this level, and it gives us confidence going forward.”
This was a stark contrast to their 7-1 defeat against Borussia Dortmund earlier in the season, which Carter-Vickers described as a tough night that taught them valuable lessons about the importance of small details at the highest level. Since then, Celtic have demonstrated their ability to defend resolutely and attack effectively, as they did in the Leipzig victory.
Carter-Vickers, who has returned from a toe injury, also praised his defensive partnership with fellow American international Auston Trusty. The summer signing from Sheffield United has formed a strong central defensive duo with Carter-Vickers, providing Celtic with a solid foundation to build upon.
He added, “Trusty has been really good since he arrived. A defensive partnership takes time, but he’s been excellent. So has Liam Scales this season – both of them have been great.”
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