Celtic can make history tonight should they emerge victorious from the club's 300th European tie.

Having made the trip to Giurgiu, a city which is located amid the mud-flats on the border between Romania and Bulgaria, the Scottish champions have the chance to qualify from a European group with two games to spare for the first time in the club's history.

The earliest that Celtic have emerged from a group in the past was in the Champions League eight years ago, when a home victory over Manchester United in the fifth group match sealed a place in the last 16 of the competition. The following season, then manager Gordon Strachan led Celtic through the group stages for a second time, but only on the final day after a defeat by AC Milan. The Glasgow club required Benfica to defeat Shakhtar Donetsk to progress. There was similar drama during the club's sixth group match in 2012, when Neil Lennon steered Celtic to the last 16 of the Champions League with a last-gasp win against Spartak Moscow.

This season, Ronny Deila's side are also on course to set a group stage points record for Celtic, surpassing their current best of 10. However, the manager is concerned most by securing one of the two qualification places from Group D.

That can be achieved tonight should his Celtic players emerge with a win from Romania and Red Bull Salzburg triumph away to Dinamo Zagreb. If those results are allied together this evening the it will be enough to take both Celtic and their Austrian group rivals into the draw for the round of 32.

Celtic can take their place in the club's history but the past is also against them, since no Scottish side has won in Romania in 10 attempts. The champions will pursue three points without the ineligible John Guidetti too, while Anthony Stokes has remained at home as a result of illness and both Kris Commons and James Forrest have failed to recover in time to make the trip. Deila will have to be inventive with his team selection if he is to lead his side into the next phase of the competition.

Aleksandar Tonev is included in the Celtic squad and Deila confirmed an appeal has now been submitted against a seven-match domestic ban given to the winger for racially abusing Shay Logan.

Craig Gordon is also available for selection again after missing last weekend's league game against Inverness Caledonian Thistle due to some discomfort in a knee. That will likely be reassuring for Deila, who witnessed first-hand how dangerous Astra can be when they created a series of chances to score during their 2-1 at Celtic Park last month.

"We have to understand that, in Europe, we play champions of other nations, and good football nations," said Deila, albeit Steua Bucharest finished above Astra in last season's Romanian championship.

The Giurgiu side did, however, defeat their rivals - whose ground Celtic trained at last night rather than make the three-hour round trip from their base camp in Bucharest - in both cup finals, underlining their pedigree. "It is going to be a tough and, if we can win it, it's going to be a fantastic achievement," Deila added.

As soon as the final whistle goes this evening, Deila will turn his attention to the final score in Zagreb. Until then, his focus will be fully on his own side and how they perform. "I really hope we can win and that, hopefully, we can be ready for the next round in Europe," said the Celtic manager.

His side showed in Salzburg in their opening group match that they are becoming more comfortable playing away than at home. This flies in the face of the Glasgow club's appalling record on the road in Europe since the turn of the century. Deila believes that he has identified the cause behind this new trend.

"It is easier to defend than to attack and at home we have to attack," said the Norwegian. "Away from home we are defending more and a lot of our players have good experience of that. So that has something to do with it. But, we need to do both now. We have had six clean sheets in our last 10 games so we have to keep up that standard."

That would at least guarantee a point, although the target for Celtic is to secure all three given that the final two games are home to Salzburg and away to Dinamo Zagreb.

Stefan Scepovic will be given the responsibility of leading line against Astra, while Leigh Griffiths could be deployed in a wider position in the Celtic attack. After an inauspicious start for the club, Scepovic scored his first goal in European competition for Celtic in the home meeting with Astra and the Serb has been given full support from his manager to add to his tally this evening.

"I'm confident Stefan can come in and do well," said Deila. "I think he's played well lately. He is desperate to play, so that's good.

"You see a change in him now that he has scored a few goals. He's more confident and believes there's much more to come from him. He has scored two goals in the last three matches. I hope he can continue."

Deila is acutely aware that, like Scepovic, his own credentials are still being examined and that Europe is considered the best proving ground for the Celtic manager. "It's important for me to maintain this club's history in Europe. Games like these are so important for our players, getting used to playing in Europe."