Cameron Carter-Vickers has insisted Celtic are finally ready to truly prove themselves in the Champions League.

The United States internationalist, 26, has been on cruise control for much of his time at Parkhead with a hefty collection of seven winners' medals in his three seasons in Scotland.

The only criticism which could reasonably be levelled at the Celtic squad would routinely come when competing in the Champions League.

In 2020/21, Celtic were knocked out in second qualifying round action against Hungarian side Ferencvaros. The next year, FC Midtjylland unceremoniously dumped Celtic out at the same stage of the competition.

In 2022/23, Celtic automatically qualified for the group stage of the Champions League - but would take just two points from six outings and exit bottom of an admittedly tough group featuring Real Madrid, RB Leipzig and Shakhtar Donetsk.

There was some improvement last season with four points earned in the elite European competition group stage with a draw against Atletico Madrid and win over Feyenoord suggesting progress was being made.

Now, after just four matches in the revamped league phase, Celtic appear to be making a real fist of the opportunity presented by the altered seeding of opposition - if the heavy defeat at the hands of Dortmund is put to one side.

Already, Celtic have more points in the Champions League this season, seven, than in their previous two tournaments combined.

Carter-Vickers is more than aware of the vast improvement but refused to look beyond the league phase despite a promising 15th-place position at the halfway point.

"It's hard to say.," said the US centre-back of what Celtic can achieve in the competition this term. "We've taken it game by game and I don't think we've got enough points yet to say we're through this group phase, or whatever you want to call it.

"For us, it's just about trying to perform at the highest level. Like we showed against Leipzig, if we do, we can get a result.

"You can always improve. That's what we're trying to do. But like I said before, the three years we've been in this competition now, it's been a process for us, a learning process. And also a process for us to believe as a group of players.

"We're at the stage now where a lot of us have played enough games now at this level that we know we can perform at it. It's just about putting that together and giving it our all."

Asked whether the victory over RB Leipzig was the best Celtic have performed, Carter-Vickers added: "I think so. We've been in the Champions League for three years now, and I think throughout that time it's been a process of learning for us as a club.

"I think now we feel like we're ready and the belief has grown in the group. I think we know we can get to that level, and it’s now just about doing that continuously and repeating it.

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"I thought we started the game pretty well in the first 15-20 minutes and their goal was a setback for us, but we managed the next five to 10 minutes pretty well, and Nic [Kuhn] getting the goal brought us right back into the game. I think from there on, we controlled the game and created a good few chances.

 

"Obviously last weekend [6-1 win over Aberdeen] was really good. But the Leipzig game was probably a different level.

"They are a top team - you can tell that from where they’re sitting in the Bundesliga right now. 

"For us to put in the performance that we did showed that we can perform at this level. It gives us belief going forward. "

Triumph over RB Leipzig remedied a disastrous night in Dortmund last month where the other Bundesliga side in Celtic's fixture pairings hammered Brendan Rodgers' charges 7-1.

The battling goalless draw against Atalanta in Bergamo showed the steeliness required to compete on the continent but Carter-Vickers reckons toppling Leipzig proved the ability in the forward areas as well for Celtic.

"The Dortmund game was tough," he said. "After the game, everyone was disappointed.

But when we looked back over it, it showed us that small details can make a massive difference at this level. That night, we did get punished.

"But I think in the last two games, we played our way and showed that if we need to, we can dig in and defend and get a result that way. Tonight was a combination of that and putting our attacking performance there as well."

Celtic's combining of their qualities across the board has equally been a factor in the emergence of Nico Kuhn as a key player for Rodgers.

The winger netted twice against Leipzig and has cemented his place as a first-choice pick on the right wing after overcoming his fitness issues from January and finding a rhythm in Glasgow.

Carter-Vickers said: "He's been great this season. Even last season you saw in training and stuff the quality he had, but it's just putting it all together on a match day for him.

"But this season he's started great and he'll make that continue."