Pundit Alex McLeish has made a claim ahead of Celtic’s Europa Conference League second leg with Bodo/Glimt, Football Insider report.
The Lowdown: Hoops have it all to do…
Celtic were left stunned at Parkhead in the first leg of their Europa League Conference tie last week, with the Norwegian champions handing Ange Postecoglou’s side a first defeat of 2022 with a shock 3-1 win in Glasgow.
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Bodo/Glimt are yet to begin their domestic season but scored early in each half to put the Hoops on the back foot. Daizen Maeda pulled a goal back late on, however, a deflected effort from Hugo Vetlesen regained a two-goal lead for Bodo/Glimt going into tonight’s second leg.
The Latest: McLeish’s comments
McLeish, who contributes for the BBC, was talking to Football Insider ahead of the second leg.
He said the first leg defeat was ‘really unexpected’ which left everybody ‘shocked’, adding that the Hoops ‘will be gutted’ if they fail to overturn a two-goal deficit.
“It was really unexpected. Everybody was shocked. I thought: ‘No way’. With the form Celtic are in, I just couldn’t believe it.
“It’s a shattering blow to your confidence when you have a competition where you’re expected to be going to the further rounds.
“This one would probably be a sore one. It could affect their domestic form as well just with the confidence factor.
“Unless they can disguise it by saying we are saving everything to win the Premiership. But I do not believe any team ever (would do that).
“People sometimes claim: ‘They were not really thinking about it. Their head was not in it.’ I just do not believe that for one moment.
“They will be gutted if they go out of the competition.”
The Verdict: Ange to go all-out?
Postecoglou may well make numerous changes from the side last Thursday, and you’d expect he’d be open to an all-out attacking approach looking for an early breakthrough.
Celtic have nothing to lose this evening, and following Giorgos Giakoumakis’ hat-trick on Sunday against Dundee, he may well come into the side from the off.
Reo Hatate also started on the bench in the first leg, and with five goal contributions from midfield already, perhaps we could see the January arrival start as well.
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