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Cameron Carter-Vickers insists Celtic are in a better place than they were when they crashed out against Kairat Almaty last season, but only “slightly”. The Hoops head into their Champions League qualifier with LASK tonight hoping to avoid another European nightmare after last season’s humiliating exit to the Kazakh side. Celtic were in a mess at this stage 12 months ago, with a chaotic transfer window leaving Brendan Rodgers short of quality and several players facing an uncertain future. The manager was so frustrated with the situation that he soon. walked from the job. Celtic have added four players this summer, with new strikers Kasper Høgh and Camilo Duran arriving with Champions League pedigree. And that could be crucial after Celtic’s attacking struggles against Kairat, when they failed to score across 210 minutes of football in the two-legged qualifier. Høgh and Duran had 11 Champions League goals between them last season, giving Martin O’Neill significantly more firepower as he attempts to guide Celtic into the league phase. There is still frustration behind the scenes, however. The Hoops head into tonight’s clash having lost Arne Engels without bringing in a replacement for the Belgian midfielder, leaving another hole in O’Neill’s squad. But Carter-Vickers believes the overall picture is more positive than it was a year ago. Asked to compare the two squads, the Celtic defender said: “Trying to think back to that point in time, if you look at the squad now compared to that you’d probably say we’re probably slightly in a better place. “I think the signings we have made have definitely hit the ground running and are showing their quality.” [RecordSport] Celtic will now hope that improvement is reflected where it matters most – on the pitch – as they attempt to put the ghosts of Almaty behind them.