FOR Celtic, it doesn’t get much better than this. Paris Saint-Germain may lack the historical pedigree of many of the more established European superpowers but in the modern game few clubs carry greater cachet.

Seeing Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Dani Alves et al arriving tomorrow before performing at Parkhead the following night is something that ought to stir the sense of all Scottish football fans, regardless of allegiance.

The eyes of the world will be on Glasgow for one night only and that is something that deserves to be cherished.

Of course, it would be preferable if those tuning in from all corners of the globe were doing so to catch a glimpse of our own talent.

Perhaps there will be a few clued-up observers down south keen to see just how Kieran Tierney does against this potent PSG forward line and assessing whether he might just do a job for their club.

Maybe some viewers will be intrigued to see if Scott Sinclair really is a player revitalised in Scotland and worth an international call, or wondering whether Scott Brown is as tenacious and inspirational as the Celtic fans forever claim he is.

For most tuning in, however, those are side issues at best. Just as was the case when Man City were in town last year and Barcelona, Milan, Inter, Juventus and others before them, Celtic are not the headline act.

They may be the hosts of this event of worldwide interest but their role in it is as the support act to Unai Emery’s travelling circus of all-stars.

There will even be some Celtic fans surely happy just to be in situ to bear witness to an evening where some of the world’s best players will perform in front of them, regardless of the potential consequences for their own team.

There is no shame in that.

Just as other Scottish football clubs are under little pressure to steal the limelight from Celtic on the domestic front, so Brendan Rodgers’ men will not be expected to turn this into a 50:50 contest.

Celtic, having learned from being humiliated 7-0 by Barcelona this time last year, will surely be more streetwise and combative than they were that now.

They will not let PSG play, not afford Neymar the space the Brazilian needs to execute balletic turns and sudden bursts of acceleration.

They will look to counter with pace of their own and will need to be clinical with what few chances may come their way. But there is little expectation.

It is a rare occasion when a defeat in a stirring performance might be just about tolerated.

Perhaps Celtic might pull off a shock, just as they did against Barcelona five years ago.

That that match is still being talked about now demonstrates both the rarity and magnitude of such a victory.

It will almost certainly end up being the highlight of Tony Watt’s career, and maybe one or two others as well.

Failing that, however, Celtic have to simply soak up the experience on Tuesday night. For simply by participating they will further their development.

Testing themselves against players of a superior calibre can only improve them in the long run. The more they expose themselves to the rarefied air of the Champions League, the better these players ought to become.

That Tierney et al are more gifted players now than they were this time a year ago can be accredited largely to those experiences in the group stage.

Without the sort of money needed to invest in instant upgrades – as PSG have done with Neymar and Mbappe – then Celtic, and other Scottish clubs, can only hope for incremental improvement.

It is something Rodgers has emphasised repeatedly since his appointment last summer and he has been true to his word in making players better, bit by bit.

The same applies to Scottish football as a whole.

There will be no great leap forward, little chance of an explosion on to world football’s consciousness the way Iceland and other smaller national teams have managed in recent years. It has to be done step by step.

The Celtic influence on the Scotland squad is already being felt.

It may stick in the craw of some to see one team provide so many players for the national team but it is clearly working. Scotland look a more formidable and confident side now with two matches remaining of this World Cup qualifying campaign than they did at the start.

Better performances lead to better results which in turn lead to an upturn in confidence, morale and self-esteem.

It is self-perpetuating. There is finally something of a feelgood factor around the national team that has been missing for quite some time.

When the under-21s then go and defeat the Netherlands in their qualifying match, it only adds to that sensation of something being gradually pieced together properly.

It gives hope that things are moving in the right direction. Slowly. But still moving.

If Northern Ireland can stand on the cusp on making a second major finals in succession, why should Scotland not harbour similar aims?

It is about keeping the momentum going, gaining exposure to the sort of experiences that can make a difference, and just repeating it over and over.

If Scottish football has been held back for years by a feeling of perpetual disappointment and negative momentum, then the converse should also be true.

One success should lead to another, a nation’s diminished sense of itself gradually restored.

That may be a difficult challenge in a country now inured to failure and debilitated by self-depreciation but it can yet happen.

Celtic will likely not beat PSG on Tuesday night but the occasion itself is the victory. It is how they use the experience to their benefit that truly matters.