There have been many great European nights at Celtic Park in the modern era. Special victories in the Champions League against the likes of AC Milan, Barcelona, Manchester United and Benfica, all have one common theme – Celtic scored first.
I’m not for one moment claiming that the game is over if RB Leipzig take the lead tomorrow night, but you’d have to feel that Celtic’s best chance of winning is by drawing first blood. So often in Europe, we see Celtic make a fast start with the famous atmosphere overwhelming opponents, only for chances to be missed and then the opposition hit us with a sucker punch before taking control of the game thereafter. The recent visit of Real Madrid was a prime example of this. Paradise was rocking, Celtic hit the inside of the post and missed two absolute sitters, only for Madrid to snatch a goal on the counter and end up winning the match 3-0.
It is quite possible that Celtic will come flying out the traps tomorrow, the tempo naturally being raised and the team boosted by the atmosphere. Ange wants his team to play that way and we have demonstrated that relentless, fast, attacking style for the majority of this season. It is also possible that Leipzig will initially be intimidated by a combination of the crowd and Angeball – or to quote Carlo Ancelotti, they may “suffer”. If that situation materialises then it is vital that Celtic capitalise on it by scoring first.
Having the platform to build on a lead at Celtic Park, is something we haven’t had the opportunity to do for a long time in the Champions League. It is likely to be key to our hopes of success in this group.
