Celtic’s upcoming Champions League opponents Nomme Kalju have suffered a blow to their morale ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League clash against the Hoops.
The Estonian champions were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Paide on Friday night. A result that leaves Kalju well off the pace in the race for the title.
Well off the pace in title race
They are currently nine points behind league leaders Flora, who have a game in hand, after playing 20 games. They currently sit in fourth place in the Meistriliiga.
With Kalju so far behind in the title race, it will be interesting to see if they focus all their resources on the tie against Celtic.
It has to be said that the Hoops will be big favourites for the tie. However, Kalju were outsiders in the last qualifying round too.
Celtic won’t take tie for granted
That didn’t stop them from going to North Macedonia and knocking out Shkendija. Therefore, Neil Lennon and Celtic won’t be taking this tie for granted.
Hopefully Lennon witnessed Kalju’s 1-1 draw with Paide, and was able to spot some weaknesses Celtic can take advantage of.
Kalju will look at the game against Celtic as a bit of a relief from a struggling league campaign. That may motivate them, as well as playing a big name in European football.
Celtic can’t afford to take Kalu lightly, no matter how indifferent their domestic from is. They have the bonus of being well into their domestic season. The tie will be completed before Celtic even start theirs.
Therefore, the Hoops will be treating Kalju with plenty of respect.
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