Former Celtic striker Pierre van Hooijdonk has detailed how he believes Giorgos Giakoumakis can be used to ‘good effect’ in the Champions League.
Ange Postecoglou’s side are preparing to embark on the world’s biggest club competition this season for the first time since 2017.
Lifting the Scottish Premiership during his first year in charge earned the former Socceroos boss and his squad an automatic place in the group stages.
This summer, the Celtic manager has been building his squad for another hectic fixtures schedule to come with his side involved in four different competitions.
Of course, entering the Champions League also means that the Bhoys will be taking on some of the best sides in world football. So, Postecoglou will have been preparing his players and making sure he has enough quality for the competition.
One position that will be key for Celtic going into the UCL is who is going to be Ange Postecoglou’s starting striker against the toughest opposition defenders that we can come up against.
The 56-year-old will have both Kyogo Furuhashi and Giorgos Giakoumakis to pick from off the back of a strong first season in Glasgow last year.
Speaking in a recent interview, ex-Celtic striker Pierre van Hooijdonk explained how he believes Giakoumakis can be used to good effect in the competition.
He said [Sun Sport]: “What matters in football is scoring goals, and guys like Giakoumakis are very good at that. Goalscorers are not always appreciated, but, more often than not, they always get back in the team.”
He continued: “Maybe in the Champions League, I would use Giakoumakis in a different way. Most of the time in that competition, Celtic will be playing against teams who could be stronger than they are.
“In those fixtures, your No 9 sometimes has to be a different type of striker. Someone who can drop into midfield and really press the defence.
“Giakoumakis is a goalscorer, but he can be used to good effect in the Champions League too. He can trouble any defence.”
Ange Postecoglou has two quality but different striker options to pick from.
Having both Giakoumakis and Kyogo to pick from will be a huge boost for Celtic this season, with the attacking duo providing different options from the start of off the bench.
So far this campaign, it has very much felt like Kyogo is currently Celtic’s number one striker. However, there is every chance that Giakoumakis could come in and impress, earning his starting spot back, and he has shown he is ready to do that in pre-season.
You can see the reasoning behind Van Hooijdonk believing that Giakoumakis will be an effective option alongside Kyogo, and Postecoglou will assess which option he prefers for each of the six group games.
The draw for this season’s competition is still yet to be made, and that could be crucial in deciding which striker will be best suited to start in those games.
Last season, we saw just how effective Kyogo can be in European competition, helping the Bhoys into the Europe League group stages before scoring in both games against Ferencvaros.
Either way, no matter which striker the Celtic manager chooses to go with, opposition defenders will face a difficult night with the Celtic duo likely to harry and hound them for the entire 90 minutes.
In other news, Watch: Brilliant footage of new Celtic signing produce unique moment of magic for old youth side.
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