Josip Juranovic says he can’t wait to meet his Celtic team-mate Daizen Maeda later today.
The pair are set to set to face-off in this afternoon’s World Cup last 16 clash between Croatia and Japan at the Al Janoub Stadium.
With a place in the quarter-finals against Brazil or South Korea on the line, both will be doing everything in their power to secure a vital result for their country.
Yet the Celtic connection is still likely to play a part, before the match at least.
“We play together at Celtic,” said Juranovic to the media in Qatar yesterday. (Daily Record)
“I can’t wait to see him on the field to congratulate him.
“Tomorrow we have an analysis, so the coach will tell us about all the Japanese players.
“Maeda is a team player, he will give his best no matter how long he plays. He is fast, aggressive, runs into space.”
It’s not often that we get to see two Celtic players going up against each other, so this afternoon promises to be tasty viewing for Hoops supporters.
Juranovic has been an ever present for Croatia thus far, while Maeda started both of Japan’s shock wins over Germany and Spain, so we can expect to see both feature.
The game kicks-off at 3pm Celtic Park time and is live on the BBC.
In other news, Victor Wanyama played an important role in a recent Celtic transfer
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