Celtic defender Josip Juranovic says he’s disappointed Hoops fans won’t be at Betis’ Estadio Benito Villamarin tonight.
However, he’s counting on the support of fans watching from home. Although many Celtic supporters will be in Seville, not many Bhoys supporters are expected to make it to the game.
Betis cut their away allocation very suddenly last week [Celtic FC], after initial hope for the travelling Celtic fans. That caused dismay for Sevillian hospitality bodies, but also obvious disappointment for Celtic’s players.
However, Juranovic has said he’s banking on the cheers of Celtic supporters from home to carry them through against Betis.
Juranovic said [Celtic FC]:
“We want to see ourselves in this tournament because it’s a big stage for us and for our fans also.
“We can’t wait to get into the game tomorrow.
“I’ve heard the stories of when in 2003, we reached the final stage of the competition and that our supporters came in numbers. That’s perfect for this club and for us also.
“There might not be as many supporters there this time, but we know that they’ll all be watching from home.’
“I hope that the fans can watch at home and cheer for us. Football is all about supporters. When you have fans behind you, they are like the 12th player and when they cheer for you, you’re able to give 200 per cent from yourself.
“We will see how the game goes. We have our style of football that we want to play. We want to keep the ball at our feet, keep possession, and if not, we’ll defend like a team altogether.”
Celtic man Josip Juranovic will surely be key against Real Betis
Croatian international Josip Juranovic has had little time to really settle in at Celtic. Big games have come thick and fast. His debut was at left-back against Rangers in Ibrox.
Then, he played brilliantly for Croatia, before returning to his favoured right-back slot in his home debut against Ross County on Saturday.
Now, he’ll likely be used in a less familiar role again. With an injury to Greg Taylor, Postecoglou can either play Juranovic on the left, or Academy graduate Adam Montgomery.
However, Montgomery may well be chosen to play further up the park, leaving a vacancy for the Croatian international, with Ralston on the right. Certainly, it’s not what Postecoglou would prefer, but at least Juranovic sounds right up for it.
Juranovic has already experienced the Celtic atmosphere, and knows just how important supporters are. While it’s a huge shame there’s no away allocation for the Betis clash, the Croatian international knows that eyes on Celtic from home will be important.
In other news: Manuel Pellegrini recounts experience of working with Celtic ‘keeper Joe Hart
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