AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has admitted he’s disappointed that he won’t be able to play in front of a packed Parkhead on Thursday night.
Swedish superstar Ibra is set to start for the Rossoneri in Thursday’s Europa League group stage opener. The Swede has only played at Celtic Park on one occasion in the past during his days with Ajax.
The stadium was bound to have been rocking on Thursday in what is a fixture that captures the imagination for the Hoops support.
However, due to the pandemic, it doesn’t look as though we’re going to see the venue packed for some time yet. And Ibrahimovic couldn’t hide his frustration in the Daily Record:
“Celtic is one of the great atmospheres and great stadiums of Europe. Zlatan deserves to play in front of the Celtic fans and the Celtic fans deserve to be able to see Zlatan play live.
“I have played in a full Celtic stadium before and I wanted to experience it again.
“With the way the world is at the moment that is not going to be possible – but maybe I will get another chance again.”
Always a pleasure to see top class players at Parkhead
Ibrahimovic has always had a unique way of putting his points across. Referring to himself in the third person has always been one of his trademarks, and his ego certainly matches anyone’s in football.
However, you can’t disagree with his words here. The Celtic support deserve to see these kinds of players in Glasgow, and it’s just a shame that a player such as Ibrahimovic will be walking out into an empty venue on Thursday.
There’s always a special buzz when world class players come to Parkhead, and even more of a buzz when they struggle to overcome the occasion. Ibrahimovic, however, is a player who has never been flustered by raucous occasions.
He’s one of the players who would’ve thrived under the noise and atmosphere of a packed Celtic Park. So maybe in that respect it isn’t the worst thing that there’ll be no fans!
Of course, it’s not just Ibra that Celtic must keep their eye on. Hakan Calhanoglu looks set to start also, with the Turkish star central to much of Milan’s attacking play, with seven direct goal contributions in seven games (Transfermarkt).
Hopefully, the Hoops can show up on the night and bounce back from the Rangers defeat on Saturday. Knocking off the likes of Ibra and Calhanoglu would be a fine feather in the cap and would reassure supporters over the team’s quality.
In other news, Celtic are about to find out whether their controversial summer decision was the right one.
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