During their Champions League campaign, Celtic and their fans have ran the full gamut of emotions. From humiliation in Dortmund to redemption against Atalanta. Jubilation against Leipzig and temporary tribulation against Young Boys.

At the end of it all – well, with one game to go, against Aston Villa – they have emerged with a place in the playoff round, the first time that Celtic have earned a knockout tie in this competition for 12 long years.

And they have also emerged with respect. Something that, according to Nicolas Kuhn, was vital to restore – along with their own belief in themselves - following the 7-1 thumping at Signal Iduna Park.

“I think it was important,” Kuhn said.

“That was just a really perfect day for Dortmund I think, and a bad one for us.

“We kept going, and we came through and showed what we can really do at this level.

“It was really important [to qualify]. That was a huge goal for everyone, and I think we deserved it.

(Image: SNS Group) “We had a pretty good start, but then we had the Dortmund game, which showed we had a lot that we had to work on.

“Over the next five games we earned a lot of points, so I think we deserved to go through, and now we have another game to look forward to.

“We weren’t happy that we couldn’t finish [Young Boys] off even in the first half, but in the end, we got the win, and we earned it.”

What was also a vital component to Celtic’s ultimate success in getting through the league phase of Europe’s elite competition was that their fans stuck with them, retaining belief not only after the defeat to Dortmund, but right through until the dying moments of the game against Young Boys.

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Manager Brendan Rodgers created something of a stooshie when he criticised a section of the Celtic fanbase for exhibiting a lack of patience with his team at times during the festive period, but his message seemed to have gotten through loud and clear on Wednesday, as the crowd rallied towards the end of the match against the Swiss to push Kuhn and his teammates over the line.

“It was really important,” he said.

“The support was amazing from the first minute.

“I think also we showed a good level and played a good game. We had three disallowed goals in the first half and missed a penalty.

“That was obviously frustrating and disappointing, but we knew we had the chance in the second half to go out and attack them again.

“We just kept going. We only got the one goal, but it was enough. In the end, it was a deserved win.”

That defeat in Dortmund then could be seen as the pivotal moment of Celtic’s European campaign to date. Or perhaps more accurately, as Kuhn explains, the team’s reaction to it.

For the winger, it was the next away display in Atalanta, where a steely team performance from Celtic saw them shut out the prolific Europa League champions, that restored their own faith that they could compete – and defend – at this level.

“It was huge,” he said.

“It was an amazing game for us to play against a team like them, who are known for scoring a lot of goals at the top level and being aggressive in one-on-ones, and to do such a good job and keep a clean sheet.

“Now we’re really looking forward to that last game in the group.”

That game is the mouthwatering trip to Villa Park next Wednesday, with Celtic travelling to Birmingham with their playoff place safely secured and with an outside shot at even making the top eight of the standings, meaning they would skip the playoff round altogether.

That would be a bonus for the Scottish champions, but Kuhn is just looking forward to performing on such a stage free from the pressure of needing a result to stay in the competition, and he is hoping the team can express themselves accordingly.

“We obviously have to focus on Dundee first,” he said.

“But after that, yes, we are really looking forward to it and hopefully we can put on another good performance.

“Apart from the Dortmund game, away from home we have had some good games and haven’t conceded too many goals since that one game.

“I think we can all look forward to it.”

Of course, not all of the players who earned that reward will be looking forward to it, with striker Kyogo Furuhashi finalising his move to Stade Rennais yesterday.

That will be a blow for the dressing room, Kuhn says, but with Jota moving the other way, he is confident that the impressive attack he has been a crucial part of this season will be able to maintain the high standard they have set.

(Image: SNS Group) “We’re really going to miss him, not just on the pitch but off the pitch too,” he said.

“He’s a great player but also just a really nice guy, he always has a smile on his face, but that’s football. We’ll keep going.

“I think we have done well throughout the whole season so far. But we know that there can be a lot of changes throughout a season.

“For instance, we had Adam (Idah) coming in during January last year, so that’s all part of it, and whatever happens I think we will come out stronger as a group.”