Celtic fans are celebrating progression through another qualifying round for the UEFA Champions League after a professional performance away to Rosenborg on Wednesday night.

With injury problems galore both before and during the match, Brendan Rodgers' team found a way to win, as they have done consistently for months and months now.

It was James Forrest who rattled in the single goal required to win the tie, a player who started the match as a striker in place of the not-quite-ready Leigh Griffiths.

Now they go into Friday's play-off draw with optimism and confidence, which is well placed. The club and supporters have many reasons to be hopeful about their chances of getting through to the group stages of the competition and here are FOUR of them...

They've beaten 3 of the 5 potential opponents in recent years

The potential opponents Celtic can face in Friday's draw are actually quite kind in comparison to most years at this stage of the competition. Four of the five sides are teams the Hoops could have faced in the 3rd qualifying round with a number of upsets littering this week's European action.

In addition to that, Celtic have actually beaten three of them in recent years with Qarabag, Hapoel Be'er Sheva and Astana all failing to beat the Hoops over two legs in the previous two seasons.

Brendan Rodgers saw off the latter two last summer and although Hapoel Be'er Sheva pushed them right to the limit, Celtic still stuck five goals past them in the first leg and Rodgers' side have improved massively in a defence since then.

The Hoops have always faced Slavia Prague, another potential opponent, in a friendly this pre-season. It was early in Celtic's summer and although it was a 0-0 draw in Prague, there was nothing to fear from the Czech Republic champions.

The only unknown quantity are Rijeka, Croatian champions and conquerors of RB Salzburg this week.

They just beaten the champions of Norway with an injury crisis

Celtic can undoubtedly take a pride in what they achieved in Norway on Wednesday night. They played the majority of the two legs without a recognised striker and the majority of the tie with just one fit and senior defender.

That kind of injury crisis threatened to derail their Champions League ambitions but it's clear the only way is up for Brendan Rodgers' side this summer as key players like Leigh Griffiths get back to full fitness.

With another three matches due to be played between now and the first leg, they have even more time to get up to speed and should be an entirely different prospect when facing their play-off opponents.

The Rosenborg tie was very tricky with all the factors in play but they came through it with flying colours and should improve against a similar standard of opponent in the next round.

Guaranteed European football can allow them to invest in players

The result in Norway also guaranteed that Celtic will have European group stage football until Christmas and while the difference in income between the Champions League and Europa League is huge, the money bonus from the latter competition is nothing to sniff at.

That's especially true when you consider the club can count on three more big attendance numbers at Celtic Park at the very least before you consider TV and prize money.

It could in fact be the difference between signing a player of quality and not this summer and if they make one or two key additions between now and the first leg, in a similar manner to the way Scott Sinclair came into the club last year, then they will be a stronger outfit when the matches roll around.

The Hoops arguably still need a winger and a defender as a priority, with another striker also on the shopping list for many supporters. Can the club deliver in the transfer market now that the manager and his team have delivered on the pitch?

They've lost just one of their last six European matches

Brendan Rodgers has Celtic motoring not just domestically but in Europe. The last match they lost in European competition was a 2-0 defeat to Barcelona at Celtic Park. Since then they've faced Manchester City away, Linfield and Rosenborg, losing just one goal in the process and remaining undefeated.

Improvement in Europe is a big aim of this season for the Hoops and they can be encouraged by recent results. They are seeded at this stage of the competition for a reason and in theory should be able to take care of any of the five teams they can be drawn against on Friday.

The Brendan Rodgers machine keeps on rolling and we can't envisage Celtic losing a game anytime soon, in Europe or at home, not until they face the big boys in the group stages of the Champions League anyway.