Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr shared his thoughts on his side’s visit to Celtic Park this evening to play in the what is regarded as one of the best stadiums in European football for atmosphere created by the Celtic support.
The Brazilian star has previously said, as reported on The Celtic Star, that he is hungry for more European success this season, especially after last year’s Champions League Final triumph where he scored the winning goal in Paris to break Liverpool hearts.
The atmosphere created inside Paradise on big European nights can be intimidating for players facing Celtic and this is why Vinicius Jr believes tonight will be a ‘difficult fixture’ for Real Madrid.
“Obviously, it’s a great team. I am looking forward to playing here, I’ve heard good things, and I’ve heard that there is a lot of pressure playing in this stadium. There is a great atmosphere,” the Real Madrid winger noted, as reported by Daily Record.
“I saw at the weekend, these guys won 4-0 in a big derby. So, it’s going to be a tough challenge for us, but hopefully, we can come away with the three points and get our first victory in this season’s Champions League campaign,” Vinicius Jr stated. He is clearly respectful of not only the atmophere that the Celtic fans will generate but also of the quality of this exciting Celtic team, although he’s probably not as well prepared as you might expect.
“It’s a very strong team. They run hard and are very physical. To be honest, I haven’t seen many of their games. So, I probably should watch a few more before tomorrow’s game. But, we are going to turn up and play our normal game, and it’s the other team who needs to adapt to us, we are not adapting to anyone.”
Celtic have been handed a tough fixture to start off their Champions League campaign, coming up against some of the world’s current superstars. However, Celtic fans and indeed the Celtic players, led by our captain Callum McGregor all wanted to draw Real Madrid in the Group stages and what better way to introduce Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side to the Champions League.
Celtic of course beat a brilliant, world class Barcelona a decade ago at Celtic Park. There’s a wee song about “Barcelona, Real Madrid” which over time as Celtic’s influence at the top of European competition faded, changed to “who the hell are we trying to kid” – maybe after tonight the original words will return…”they have made a gallant bid, but they’ll never beat the Bhoys in Emerald Green.”
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