ANDREI KANCHELSKIS has issued a warning to the experienced Zenit St Petersburg players that they will never have experienced anything quite like Celtic Park so far in their careers.
Russian winger Kanchelskis played for Dick Advocaat’s Rangers side after signing for the Ibrox club from from Manchester United, so he has plenty of first hand knowledge to pass on to his fellow countrymen.
But even a pre match warning from him will be of little use as Kanchelskis reckons that the Celtic support can blow Zenit away – unless they are careful.
“This is going to be a very interesting battle,” Kanchelskis said.
“I myself played against Celtic – the atmosphere there is crazy. Sixty thousand fans who support their team and make an incredible noise.
“The support they give their team really drives Celtic forward.
“I think it will be a difficult night for Zenit to try and stop Celtic.
“Zenit’s best chance is to get at Celtic on the counter-attack.
“But if Celtic get off to a fast start and score in the first 15 minutes, it will be a very difficult night for Zenit indeed because that will encourage their fans even more.
“It’s a difficult game to call, but if you were to ask me for a prediction, I would say 2-1 to Celtic, which would mean the second leg would be very interesting indeed.
“This is not a Zenit side with the likes of Hulk, Danny and Axel Witsel in the team.
“The Scots are dangerous, particularly at home because they have such a fantastic support.”
Why Brendan Rodgers had to apologize to Tom Rogic, read HERE.
Read Jim Craig’s preview of the Zenit tie and his blog on a very famous Celtic Star who made his debut on this day in 1927 HERE.
THIS IS HOW IT FEELS!
THE CELTIC STAR PODCAST FEATURING INSPIRAL CARPETS’ CLINT BOON, LISTEN NOW!
This week, Paul John Dykes and Kevin Graham are joined by Inspiral Carpets’ Clint Boon, who wrote a classic song that will forever be associated with the club’s invincible treble-winning campaign – ‘This is How it Feels’.
Crafted by Clint in the late eighties, ‘This is How it Feels’ became one of Inspiral Carpets’ biggest hits upon its release in 1990. This song became a Madchester classic, and renditions have previously rang out at the city’s Old Trafford and Main Road stadiums. Now, in homage to Brendan Rodgers’ quest to lead Celtic to ten consecutive league titles in-a-row, the tune has travelled to Glasgow for a reworking by those renowned tunesmiths, The Green Brigade.
But what does Clint Boon think of Celtic’s version of his melancholic slab of genius? The Oldham-born psychedelic organ-grinder joins A Celtic State of Mind to chat about ‘This is How it Feels’, Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield, Noel Gallagher, Lee Mavers, Morrissey, Mark E Smith and more in Episode 34 of The Celtic Star podcast.
