Celtic had no right to be disappointed with a point against Manchester United, but they were. As their players trudged through the interview area after Wednesday night's game, they exuded a sense of what might have been'.

Celtic had no right to be disappointed with a point against Manchester United, but they were. As their players trudged through the interview area after Wednesday night's game, they exuded a sense of what might have been'.

Despite the one-way traffic in the second half, the frustration at the loss of a late goal still ran deep. There was a realisation that, although pride had been restored after their trouncing at Old Trafford, their position in Group E remained the same. Pilfering a point against the Champions League holders may have taken a super-human effort, but greater challenges await.

Paul Hartley rolled his eyes when Celtic's away record was mentioned. Shaun Maloney looked at his shoes. The fact remains, however, that Celtic must end their miserable record on the road by beating Aalborg away from home if they are to retain hopes of reaching the last 16 for the third successive year, or even if they are to enter the UEFA Cup.

"We've got to believe," said Maloney. "After the next game we'll know where we stand. If we win our last two games, there is still a chance of getting to the last 16. Obviously we'll be looking to change our away form. There's no reason why it can't be against Aalborg. It's easier said than done, but we've got a lot of confidence in the squad so we'll see how it goes."

Celtic must beat Aalborg and hope Manchester United overcome Villarreal on Matchday 5 if they are to retain hopes of progression in the competition. Hartley believes Sir Alex Ferguson's side will be committed to winning in Spain, despite having effectively qualified.

"I think they will want to win over there and top the group," said the Celtic midfielder. "The important thing for us is to win our remaining two matches and you never know what can happen. We know we have to take six points from those two games to have any chance.

"We obviously go away and try to win the matches. The away record is just one of those things that has been going on over the years. We have a new group of players this year, though, and maybe we can stop it. If we are to progress in the competition, we have to win in Aalborg."

Wednesday's match also proved another staging post in Scott McDonald's return to top form. The Australian striker scored 31 goals last season, but has struggled to hit the same heights in this campaign. He has also faced criticism over his fitness, but has risen to the occasion over the last six weeks with crucial goals. Wednesday's strike was his best of the season, a sublime lob over Ben Foster in the Manchester United goal. "Scott is his own player," said Maloney. "His goalscoring ratio is as good as anyone, but I couldn't really compare him to the likes of Henrik Larsson, John Hartson or Chris Sutton as they're all so different.

"We've all been happy with the way Scott has been playing. I think with the amount of goals he scored last season he could have a dip in his goalscoring ratio. But his all-round play, especially last midweek against Kilmarnock, was brilliant."

Scott Brown was another key performer against United and seems to have developed into a more rounded midfielder in recent months. "Obviously I didn't see a lot of Scott last season but I knew him as a player from Scotland previously and he has been excellent so far this season," added Maloney.

The strength and resilience of Celtic's squad is being tested to the limit. Currently, they have a spate of injuries, including Georgios Samaras, Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, Chris Killen, Marc Crosas, Glenn Loovens and Aiden McGeady. Tomorrow they face Motherwell at home in the league, but Maloney insists they can cope with the fixture schedule.

"Being involved in nights like this against United is what you're in the game for, so none of us are complaining about the amount of games. It's down to us and the coaching staff to make sure it doesn't fall flat against Motherwell after a night like this.

"Physically, it'll be quite draining, but we'll be ready for Saturday. We've won every game after midweek European ones so far and fingers crossed that can continue. When we played Motherwell earlier on this season we were excellent in the first half but in the second they showed us what we were expecting of them. So it'll be a battle,