Celtic have picked up only one out of a possible 51 points away from home in the group stages of the competition.

However, after 11 straight wins in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League, there is a growing feeling among Celtic fans that they are ready to record a historic victory and give themselves a fighting chance of reaching the last-16 for the third season in succession.

But Augustinussen stressed the Danish side had improved since the first match in Glasgow when the visitors, then playing under Bruce Rioch, held out for a goalless draw.

He said: “Celtic are strong but we are strong too and we are a better team now than we met them in the first game in Glasgow.

“The last time we were okay so I have a lot of confidence for this game. We are a better team, we are better organised with a better defence.

“I think we can get through them. We have worked a lot in the last month and we have been playing much better.

“We believe so much in ourselves now and believe that we can beat every team we meet. If we do our jobs, like we did against Villarreal here and when we played in Scotland, then we have a good chance.”

Aalborg stand-in boss Allan Kuhn, who took over from sacked Rioch in October, was dismissive of Celtic’s fine run of form in the SPL after having the Hoops watched in their 3-1 win over St Mirren at Love Street on Saturday.

“St Mirren were the better team in the first half but Celtic were better in the second half,” he said. “But it was a Scottish game and Celtic are nearly always the winner there, except when they meet Rangers.

“They have more national players but I don’t think they are a better team than us."