Giorgos Giakoumakis has insisted that Celtic are ready to use their experience of facing Real Madrid in tonight’s game against Shakhtar Donetsk.
After kicking off the UEFA Champions League last week with a defeat against the European giants, the Bhoys are now looking to get off the mark in Poland this evening.
Celtic face an on-form Shakhtar side who are yet to lose this season and are coming into the game full of confidence after a 4-1 win over RB Leipzig last Tuesday.
It is bound to be a tough test for the Hoops, taking on an experienced European outfit, who will be attempting to pick up six points from their first two group games.
However, it is also a fixture that Ange Postecoglou’s side should be relishing, having made a brilliant start to the season themselves, and putting in a strong showing against Real.
Speaking ahead of tonight’s game, Celtic striker Giorgos Giakoumakis insisted that the squad are ready for the task ahead, stating that they will look to use the experience of facing Real Madrid to their advantage.
He said [Celtic FC]: “I think the team is well-prepared and our confidence is really high. We opened the group against Real Madrid and put in a very good performance, but I think it wasn’t enough against that team.
“We played very well, so in this game, now we have to try and collect some points and combine a good performance with trying to get some points.
“I think it helped us adjust in this Champions League group because we played against the best club in the world, so when you play against such strong teams, I think it makes you stronger.
“Maybe we have to do something extra, and I think we can do even better. I’m optimistic about this group that we can finish in the top two places.”
Real Madrid outing should give Celtic confidence heading into future group games.
Despite the Hoops’ excellent domestic form last campaign, going into the new season, there remained the question, how will Ange Postecoglou’s squad fair in European competition?
On paper, it has been a disappointing start to life in the Champions League. However, when you add the context that we were playing the current holders of the competition, there are plenty of positives to take from last week’s showing.
From this point, though, it is absolutely crucial that we put those positives to good use and kick on in Group F.
The next four games against Shakhtar and RB Leipzig will be absolutely crucial if we want to achieve any success in this group.
So, hopefully, starting from tonight, we can see the squad learning from their first performances in the UEFA Champions League against a top-class side such as Real Madrid.
In other news, Rookie Champions League referee set to take charge of Shakhtar vs Celtic clash.
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