Celtic to enjoy total dominance
Celtic put on an excellent performance in the first leg of their Champions League qualifier in Bosnia last Tuesday. Now that they have one foot in the next round, can anything possibly go wrong? Have a read of our preview here:
Celtic’s excellent display on the road
There is no doubt that when this tie was thrown Celtic’s way, a number of fans probably started to get the kind of apprehension only brought on by years of disappointing European outings.
Getting into the group stage of the Champions League is massive for a club like Celtic, not only for the financial rewards it brings but also for the prestige and enhancement of the club brand abroad.
The Old Firm derby is all well and good but some success on the biggest stage of all would certainly help promote Scottish football in a positive light, something the national team has so abjectly failed to do for many years.
Neil Lennon was delighted with the display in Bosnia. The Bhoys showed tremendous character to come back from the early setback and, in the end, we comfortable winners. With the squad at their disposal that is not a surprise, but thing do not always turn out as they should for Scottish sides in Europe.
Magic Johnston
With all the names linked to Celtic it was a certain Mikey Johnston that really caught the eye. The homegrown talent made an impressive impact in the first leg, not only by getting on the scoresheet but also for his all-round performance.
His goal, however, was something special. He turned with the ball at his feet and smashed a tremendous effort past the Sarajevo ‘keeper from distance. He could be one to watch this season.
One foot in the next round
Heading back to Celtic park with a two-goal cushion and three away goals should be enough for even the most sceptical Celtic fan to relax and enjoy the second leg.
They will be taking nothing for granted, Neil Lennon will make sure of that, but you’d hope they’d play with the same confidence they showed in Sarajevo and, hopefully, score a few more to build the confidence levels.
Scott Brown dominated in the centre of the park in the first-leg and his influence should be key to make sure the Bhoys progress in Europe elite competition.
Celtic v FK Sarajevo betting tip
Celtic are massive favourites to win this one and it is likely they will bag a couple of goals if they assert themselves again. The value lies in them keeping a clean-sheet in this one. So, backing Celtic to win to nil at odds of 5/6 should hopefully come home fairly easily.
