Celtic are looking forward to opening up their Champions League campaign tonight by welcoming Slovakian champions, Slovan Bratislava to Glasgow.
Whilst the Celtic fans have an air of confidence about their team’s chances, the supporters will also be wary of Bratislava, especially with their current form and the fact that they knocked out FC Midtjylland to get where they are.
Brendan Rodgers will also be confident of a win but the Celtic boss would not be as cocky and so public about his chances as Borussia Dortmund’s sporting director, Lars Ricken is about his clubs.
Dortmund ‘should beat’ Celtic
Dortmund, obviously, have a good pedigree in the Champions League. Reaching the final last season, they are clearly a very good side.
However, reflecting on last season’s adventure, Ricken has the ambition of making the last 16 of this season’s tournament and publicly said that Dortmund should brush aside their opponents in the league phase, including Celtic.
Ricken told Thuringische Landeszeitung [print edition page 22]. “We’ve had a great journey – now we’re going on the next one.
“We want to reach the round of 16, whichever way we go. Every game and every goal is important for that.
“After that, as we have seen for ourselves, nothing can be ruled out. Brugges, like Celtic Glasgow, Sturm Graz, Dinamo Zagreb and Shakhtar Donetsk, are among the opponents BVB should beat.
Over-confidence should motivate Celtic
Now, I don’t know about you but confidence like this is commonplace amongst football supporters but for people in prominent positions at a football club, these thoughts should be kept private.
Even though Celtic are dominating Scottish football, Brendan Rodgers and none of the Parkhead hierarchy would so brazenly publicly dismiss the opposition like this.
Celtic have a history of pulling off big results in the Champions League and how good would it be to prove Ricken wrong now?
Every Celtic supporter knows (as does every other fan of the clubs listed by Ricken) that going to the Westfalenstadion will be tough but they will also fancy their chances of getting a result.
These comments could come back to haunt Ricken as Club Brugge visits tonight with Celtic up next on the 1st of October.
