Neil Lennon admits he will have a match from 18 years ago on his mind when Celtic take on Sarajevo on Wednesday evening.
The Hoops are in firm control of the tie after their 3-1 win in Bosnia last week. However, that was also the first leg score when Celtic squared off against Ajax in 2001.
The Hoops got a glorious 3-1 win in Amsterdam but were made to sweat a fortnight later when the Dutch side earned a surprise 1-0 win.
Lennon played both matches and admits it’s weighing on his mind. However, he also expects his players to be ready this time around.
He told the Scottish Sun: “I think the players will go out with the right attitude.
“Sometimes you can take your foot off the gas a little bit. We must be wary of that.
“Sarajevo may come with an all- or-nothing attitude and have a real go. So we have to be bang at it. I remember being 3-1 up after a first leg against Ajax and they battered us here.
“We made it through, but I’d like it to be a lot more comfortable than that.”
Should Lennon be worried about Sarajevo?
Since that tie against the Dutch champions, Celtic have a perfect record of finishing off opponents after good away first leg results.
The Hoops have won seven first leg clashes on the road since 2001 – all in the Champions League – and finished off the job by winning the second leg too.
The majority of their opponents haven’t been of the highest standard but the fact remains that the Hoops have been able to finish off the job when in a commanding position.
Celtic fans will be hoping that the same can be said when Sarajevo visit Glasgow on Wednesday.
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