Why Celtic can look to their record against Swedish teams for inspiration ahead of AIK tie

Celtic’s first outing against a Swedish team came on this day in 2012, with the Hoops beating Helsingborgs 2-0 at the Olympia Stadium; a result which can provide inspiration to Neil Lennon’s side ahead of Thursday’s clash with AIK.

Goals from Kris Commons and Georgios Samaras gave Celtic a comfortable 2-0 win in the first leg of their Champions League play-off with Helsingborgs six years ago today; a victory that kickstarted Celtic’s unbeaten record against teams from Sweden.

Twitter: On this day in 2012, Celtic beat Helsingborg 2-0 in a Champions League qualifier. Commons and Samaras with the goal… https://t.co/9p23U27O9f (@CelticLisboaa)

Since the win over Helsinborgs, who are currently managed by Celtic legend and former striker Henrik Larsson, the Hoops have won two and drawn one of the following three games against Swedish opposition with an aggregate score of 5-0.

And while previous results often have little impact on upcoming fixtures, especially considering how Celtic and AIK have never met in a competitive fixture before, this record could give the Hoops a little boost going into Thursday’s first leg.