Celtic’s away support has been racking up the miles this week.
After travelling down south to take on Aston Villa in the Midlands on Wednesday night, the Celtic faithful will be at Fir Park on Sunday afternoon for the return of Premiership action.
Brendan Rodgers’ side had their home clash against Dundee postponed last week because of the weather, but they still hold a ten-point lead at the top of the table.
Celtic’s Champions League clash at Aston Villa was an eventual one, at first, it looked and felt like it was going to be another Dortmund nightmare.
But a depleted Celtic side fought right until the end and fell to a brave 4-2 defeat against a team that secured a top-eight finish.
A familiar face was on the other end in John McGinn, with the boyhood Celtic fan facing the club of his dreams on Europe’s biggest stage.
Aston Villa players rave about Celtic’s away support in Champions League
Morgan Rogers has already bigged up Celtic fans and Stephen McGinn, the older brother of John, has now shared an insight from the dressing room.
He told Go Radio that John was ‘more disappointed’ at initially not starting against Celtic – because he was just returning from injury – before being a forced first-half substitute because Matty Cash suffered a muscle injury.
Stephen McGinn also explained that, after speaking to his brother, he stated that the Aston Villa players were ‘raving’ about the atmosphere generated on the night by both sets of fans.
“He is just back from injury,” shared Stephen McGinn. “I totally understood why he (didn’t start). He was more disappointed, of course, with what the game meant to him. He was delighted to go on. I thought he played well.
On John McGinn assisting Celtic’s opening goal: “Yeah, he played a part,” added McGinn’s older brother. “I thought he played well in the game. He was involved in Celtic’s first goal. He was very unfortunate in cutting out the cross. He played a big part in Aston Villa’s 3-2.
“I spoke to him earlier this afternoon and he said ‘the Aston Villa players were raving about the atmosphere created by both sets of fans’. It was just a brilliant game of football to play in.”
Celtic away fans facing UEFA ban ahead of Bayern Munich tie
Adam Idah’s comeback goals sent the away end at Villa Park into dreamland, but it also saw a supporter throw a pyrotechnic onto the field of play.
The issue with this is that the Celtic support has previously been warned about this and are now facing a ban from the powers that be at UEFA headquarters.
After the game at Villa Park, Celtic released a statement on this matter and it seems as though the worst is staring everyone in the face.
The Bhoys take on German giants Bayern Munich in a two-legged affair in the play-offs and there is now a strong chance there won’t be any away fans inside the Allianz Arena.
“As a result of the use of pyrotechnics during our match against Borussia Dortmund last year, Celtic Football Club was sanctioned by the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body,’ wrote a club statement.
“The decision meant that, not only did the Club receive a fine of €20,000, but also that, if such behaviour was repeated at a match in the next two years, the Club would be prevented from selling tickets to supporters for one away match in UEFA club competitions.
“Unfortunately, the club has received a further disciplinary notice from UEFA following the match against Aston Villa FC on Wednesday evening. The Club will obviously make robust representations to UEFA and will make every effort to ensure that our fans can attend our next UEFA Champions League match.
“However, clearly there is a risk that supporters may not be able to attend. In light of this situation, it is incumbent on the club to make supporters aware of this risk, when considering making arrangements for travel, until further information is provided by UEFA.”
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