Manager Neil Lennon has said that Celtic’s victory over Lazio gave his dressing room ‘a huge shot in the arm’ when it comes to confidence and belief, The Daily Record report.
The Hoops are motoring this season. We’re currently sitting top of the table in the Scottish Premiership, in the Europa League and have reached a national final after beating Hibernian over the weekend.
However, our most difficult test so far could be waiting for us this Thursday when we make the trip to Rome to face Lazio.
Although we’ve so far travelled well in Europe during Lennon’s second spell, the Serie A side are a major road block.
The manager though is buoyed by the current feeling in his dressing room, feeling that the team have absolutely no fear heading to Italy.
As quoted by The Daily Record, he said: “We’re looking forward to it. The players have earned the right. We know if we win or get a positive result we can take another huge step towards qualification.
“I think they got a huge shot in the arm from beating Lazio confidence-wise and belief-wise.
“We have seven points in the group and that’s a fantastic start for us. We know we might possibly not get another one, but we don’t just want to settle for domestic dominance, we want to really make inroads into Europe as well.”
These are comments that should delight fans. That we are on our way to the fourth-placed team in the Italian top-flight without much apprehension is a sign of the level this team are currently at.
Would anyone really be surprised if we came away with a positive result? It sounds as if the manager and the squad would be the least shocked.
A pressure-free trip?
Celtic’s current standing in Group E has essentially made our most difficult match of the six, on paper, pressure-free.
Even if we return home with nothing we’ll be very well placed to qualify for the knockout stages of the competition. We could even still be top of the group if Rennes take care of Cluj.
The Bhoys will of course have that big game feeling and be looking for a positive result, but the fact we aren’t heading to Italy chasing a result or needing points is quite big.
It should allow us to play with even more freedom and enjoy the occasion, potentially bringing our best football to the fore.
There should be no illusions about how difficult a night it could be, but we’re well placed to keep the Celtic machine rolling.
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