Nomme Kalju assistant manager Sergei Terehhov is hoping that Celtic go easy on his side next week.
The Hoops did a real job on the Estonians last night at Celtic Park. Neil Lennon’s side ran away with the first leg 5-0, in the most one-sided Champions League qualifiers since our 5-0 win over Astana two years ago.
Kalju did well for 30 minutes against the Scottish champions. Celtic struggled to break down the Estonian outfit before Kristoffer Ajer’s header. However, after Celtic went through the gears as the game wore on, our second qualifying round opponents proved no match for us.
And Kalju assistant Terehhov was in no mood to dress things up. Speaking in the Scottish Sun, he claimed that he hopes Celtic take things easy next week and play the fringe players.
“We were doing okay until the first goal and then once Celtic got the second and third goals it was all over for us.
“I am hoping Celtic will come to Tallin with a touch of arrogance and will maybe play some of their fringe players. We will try and save some face in front of our home supporters. Realistically, it is now impossible to qualify, but getting a good result at home is not.
Nomme Kalju assistant may just get his wish
Well, if truth be told, it’s difficult to see us playing the strongest XI we can next week. The match in Tallinn now gives Lennon a chance to experiment and give some of the benchwarmers some much-needed game time.
However, in saying that, he shouldn’t expect too many favours either. The likes of Christopher Jullien, Marian Shved, Jonny Hayes, and Scott Sinclair all missed out in the first leg. It’s that level of quality that should get its chance in the second leg next week. It may not be our strongest XI, but it will certainly be a quality-filled one regardless.
It’s interesting to hear the Kalju camp admitting the tie is over. But even so, they’ll be going all out to get one over Celtic next week. It’s important for them that their image in European competition isn’t totally obliterated. Another hammering in the second leg would hardly look great for them.
Kalju lost 1-0 at home to Shkendija in the first qualifying round, however, so it certainly doesn’t look as though they’ll be much to worry about.
Last night was one of the best home performances Celtic have notched up in Champions League qualifying. It’s up there with the top performances we produced under Rodgers against Astana and Hapoel Be’er Sheva.
With a bit of luck, we make it four competitive wins out of four when we take the journey to Estonia next week, and keep the momentum going heading into the new domestic campaign.
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