Celtic FC Women are ninety minutes away from making history this evening against Ukrainian Champions FK Vorskla Poltava…
Both legs take place at the Excelsior Stadium in Airdrie as, as has been the case over the past few seasons, FK Vorskla Poltava has been unable to play their homes matches in their own country due to the war with the Russian aggressor. The first leg took place on Sunday and ended up with Celtic securing a narrow 1-0 win, although both teams passed up numerous chances. Indeed Elena Sadiku reckoned her side should have won 5-1 at the weekend.
This evening Celtic are the ‘home’ team so expect then to be wearing the Hoops!
Celtic FC Women have never been in this situation before and truth be told it’s hard to imagine them having a similar opportunity anytime soon to reach the last 16 of the Women’s Champions League and a place in Group Stages against the best club sides in European football.
Team News
Elena Sadiku confirmed that Hana Kerner has a fractured wrist and will miss this evening. Injuries to Clare Goldie and Jenny Smith and to the likes of Chloe Logan, Chloe Craig and Luana Muñoz who remain out at the moment.
The Celtic Head Coach has adopted an full squad rotation policy this season so there’s little point in predicting a team, which means that the FK Vorskla Poltava may be expecting one Celtic side but will end up facing numerous new faces. Elena believes in the team and so too do the regular supporters who follow the team everywhere. For the supporters who go along this evening, but perhaps haven’t had the chance to watch too much of the women’s team in recent seasons, you’re in for a treat this evening!
Celtic Manager’s View
Looking back on Sunday’s first leg victory Elena Sadiku said: “For me, I think we executed the game plan really well. The players performed really well, and we created enough chances to win with more goals.
“Obviously for me, it was just about learning from what we can do better to not make them threaten us like they did on Sunday. But also, there is going to be more space for us to attack, and we just need to do a little bit better with our decision making.’ Hopefully from there we can get the job done,” the Celtic FC Women Head Coach said.
“We are just focused on the game. Even if there is a special game, for us it’s treated the same as every other game. It’s about preparing the girls the same way. We need to go out there, perform well execute the game plan, and that is it.
“You can hear when Natalie (Ross) is talking, in her voice how excited she is. But for me, it’s about being calm enough to know that we know exactly how to threaten them. We know exactly what to be aware of. We also know that the occasion will be very special. But it will be treated as a normal game. It is 90 minutes of football, and that is what we are going to focus on.
“As a group we’ve talked about it. We know the occasion and how special it is. But it’s all about being focused on the game and the task, don’t let emotions take over. I think that is something that we have been trying to do really well. You could see that on Sunday in the first leg. With the chances that we create in the game, we couldn’t have done that if we were stressed or nervous.
“So, we have talked about it and now it’s about focusing on the task, and what we need to do. I’m very confident that we will put in a good performance.”
Celtic Player’s View
Natalie Ross reminded herself that she’s the oldest player in the Celtic FC Women squad this season, but there’s no chance that she is any less committed to the cause and still has plenty to offer this Celtic side in the middle of the park this season. Think of Scott Brown in his last few seasons in the Celtic first team as a fairly accurate comparison. Ross brings leadership, experience, dig and is a really top player who has more in the tank to give over the next year or two.
“It’s a massive game, and there is a lot of excitement. We can take a lot of confidence from Sunday’s game as well,” Natalie said at the pre-match media conference held at Celtic Park where Callum McGregor came along to lend his own support as Celtic as a club look to have two sides – men and women – in the group stages of the Champions League for the first time ever.
“I’d say it’s probably one of our best performances of the season so far,” Natalie said as she looked back on Sunday’s 1-0 victory over FK Vorskla Poltava. “We know what is at stake. We know what we can achieve and that we can make even more history by winning tomorrow.
“Our concentration is on training going into the game. It’s a big game and there is a lot of excitement. We learned from the first leg that they are a good side. We know that we can’t underestimate them in any way. They are direct and experienced. But we know our quality, and we are confident going into the game.
“On Sunday, we were together, and we fought. We created a lot of chances, and it was fun to play in. So, we are very, very excited and looking forward to tomorrow.”
Match Officials
The referee tonight is Lina Lehtovaara from Finland. Her Assistants are Heini Hyvonen (Finland) and Karolin Kaivoja (Estonia). The Fourth Official is Minka Vekkeli, also from Finland.
Kick-off Time
The UEFA Women’s Champions League, Round 2, 2nd leg match between Celtic and FK Vorskla Poltava at the Excelsior Stadium (also known as Albert Bartlett Stadium) in Airdrie kicks off at 7.15pm this evening (Thursday 26 September). Celtic hold a 1-0 lead from the first leg which was played on Sunday. The winner of the tie will be decided this evening and will earn a place in the UWCL Group Stages.
Where to Watch
UEFA WOMEN’S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ROUND 2 – CELTIC FC WOMEN v FC VORSKLA POLTAVA, Albert Bartlett Stadium on Thursday 26 September 2024. Kick-off: 7:15pm | Gates open: 6:15pm…
Sunday’s match clashed with the Celtic v Falkirk Premier Sports Cup quarter-final at Celtic Park, so that subdued the size of the crowd. Tonight when the tie will be decided and Celtic history can be made, should ensure a record crowd for a Celtic FC Women’s match at Airdrie. Get along if you can, give the team that extra-special Celtic supporters’ Champions League backing and help the Ghirls get across the line! The celebrations will be awesome! Tickets are just £10 for adults and £5 for concessions.
Get your tickets HERE
If you can’t make it along the game is live on BBC Alba and also on Celtic TV for subscribers based outside of Britain and Ireland.
Score Prediction
No Jessica today, who tipped a 2-0 Celtic win on Sunday, while yours truly opted for a 1-0 Celtic win! Just saying! Tonight I reckon that the final score will be a 3-1 win for Celtic and the scenes will be awesome!
COYGIG! LET’S MAKE HISTORY!
💫 MATCHDAY 🟢⚪️
🆚 Vorskla Poltava
⌚️ 7:15pm
🏟️ Albert Bartlett Stadium, Airdrie
🏆 @UWCL
💻 @CelticTV (exc. UK & IRE)
📺 @BBCAlba
🎟️ Tickets available online | https://t.co/27e6s2nMUZ#CelticVorskla | #CelticFC🍀 pic.twitter.com/Iw4i3cBYRH— Celtic FC Women (@CelticFCWomen) September 26, 2024
Hail Hail David, if you say 3-1 thats good enough for me , as youve been bang on recently , and it should be remembered that its an acheivment in itself to be at this stage , for me its a honour to watch history being made and its a shame that the majority of Celtic supporters dont seem to care , Celtic are a Club not a single team , COYGIG