Midtjylland manager Bo Henriksen has kickstarted the mind games ahead of the Celtic game tonight as he believes the reduced capacity could be an advantage for the Hoops.
The Danish side are in Glasgow for the first leg of our UCL second qualifying round tie. The second leg will take place in Denmark next Wednesday as the winners look forward to a tie against either PSV Eindhoven or Galatasaray.
Tonight’s attendance will see 9,000 Celtic fans take to Parkhead to watch the Bhoys in a competitive game since March 2020. Celtic had initially hoped to get 20,000 in the door [Daily Record], but the Scottish Government insisted on a lower capacity.
And whilst many would be led into thinking it’s a positive for the Hoops, Henriksen somehow thinks otherwise. Instead, he’s clearly decided to start the mind games ahead of tonight by suggesting it’s actually an advantage for Celtic.
As quoted by the Herald, Henriksen said: “We know the Scottish fans are crazy – in a good way. Even though there will only be 9,000 fans, they will make a lot of noise.
“We had hoped there would be 60,000 – but that could maybe be a good thing for Celtic. There will be less but it won’t be an advantage for us, not with the position Celtic are in. You know, if we got to half time 1-0 up, we know how the Celtic supporters can be a little unsatisfied.
“I’m only speculating but I know how life goes. We know we have to deliver above our normal average to get a result in Glasgow.”
Bo Henriksen provides Celtic with a familiar mental challenge ahead of Midtjylland tie
It’s not surprising to see Henriksen push this angle. This idea that Celtic could perform more comfortably with less fans in the stadium. It’s an attempt to push the narrative that Midtjylland are underdogs and Celtic are clear favourites.
Of course, this is something we as Hoops fans are used to. We’ve had this kind of pressure thrown onto us in the past. Remember Dan Petrescu stating that it would take a “miracle” for Cluj to knock us out of the UCL qualifiers in 2019? [Daily Record].
These comments from Henriksen fall into a similar path. That having a full capacity stadium would’ve benefited them and that Celtic can now play with more freedom. It’s utter nonsense, and the last year has proven that.
Celtic have underperformed badly without spectators at Parkhead. We haven’t been able to produce the levels of quality we’re used to seeing from the Hoops. Defeats to the likes of St Mirren and Ross County would’ve been unthinkable with a capacity crowd.
So much so that many believe it to be a key reason we lost 10IAR. Therefore, it’s difficult to push any idea that we gain an advantage with the stadium having fewer supporters in it.
Celtic shouldn’t and likely won’t be taking these words seriously of course. But even so, it’s important to guard against complacency nevertheless.
In other news: Report: Why Celtic didn’t sign Thomas Robert as Burnley trial extends
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