Maurizio Sarri delivers verdict on Celtic ahead of Lazio Champions League clash

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Maurizio Sarri has shared that he is mindful of the challenge Celtic will present to his Lazio side despite a win in the reverse fixture.

Sarri addressed the media in anticipation of the Celtic vs Lazio match tomorrow night at the Stadio Olimpico.

The Hoops face the difficult task of needing to win by two goals to keep their hopes alive for Champions League football after Christmas.

Celtic will also require favourable outcomes in addition to their own results, with Atletico Madrid needing to win their last two games against Feyenoord and Lazio. Furthermore, the Hoops must secure a victory against Feyenoord on the final matchday to advance to the knockout stages.

The Hoops will have to do so tomorrow night without Daizen Maeda and Luis Palma. Maeda is sidelined due to injury, while Palma is unavailable due to suspension, having accumulated too many yellow cards throughout the group stage.

Sarri said: [Football Scotland],”Celtic are a good team, they have good rhythm, decent technical qualities. They are not an easy team to beat.

“We must not delude ourselves about the negative results away from home because they were games conditioned by numerical inferiority. It’s a good team and it will certainly be a complicated match.

“Now we’re preparing for the match. I said what I had to say yesterday. Now it’s time to regroup, with the great hope that the atmosphere that exists is in the Champions League, give us something more.”

Sarri is clearly cautious of the threat that Celtic poses, especially after his team suffered a 2-1 defeat to Salernitana on Saturday, a side currently sat bottom of Serie A.

Despite a disappointing 1-1 draw against Motherwell on Saturday, Celtic can find some encouragement in Lazio’s domestic defeat, as the Italian side do not go into the game in great form, currently sitting 11th in Serie A.

Tomorrow night will undoubtedly be one of Celtic’s most significant games of the season, and a victory by two goals would stand out as one of the Hoops’ greatest European results.

Throughout the season, they have played some terrific football at Celtic Park in the Champions League and are long overdue a standout performance away from home in the competition.