Tag Archives: Bhoys

Bhoys to take first-leg advantage

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The Champions League qualifiers continue on Tuesday with a number of mouth-watering ties including Celtic’s trip to Helsingborgs IF (Helsingborgs 13/8, draw23/10, Celtic 8/5 in the match betting), while the highest-profile meeting sees Borussia Monchengladbach face Dynamo Kiev.

Celtic boss Neil Lennon has already said that following Rangers’ much publicised demotion, his side must start to perform in Europe after years of failing to live up to expectations.

The Bhoys began their domestic season with a disappointing 1-1 draw against Ross County on Saturday but are likely to welcome back a number of their key players for the trip to Sweden, most notably striker Gary Hooper.

Hooper has been linked with a move away from Parkhead this summer but having managed to keep hold of him, boss Lennon knows his goals will be vital to any chance his side has of making it into the group stages.

Celtic will be confident of earning a result at the Olympia, but won’t have it all their own way against a competitive Helsinborgs side, who will fancy their chances.

Age Hareide’s men won the Swedish Premier League last term and don’t be surprised if they cause their Scottish opponents a number of problems.

This one looks almost too close to call but there seems to be a buzz surrounding Celtic at the moment and their determination should see them return to Scotland with an advantage ahead of next week’s second leg (Celtic 11/2 to win 1-0).

The other match that catches the eye is the tie between two old stalwarts of European football, Borussia Monchengladbach and Dynamo Kiev (Monchengladbach evens, draw 12/5, Kiev 11/4 in the match betting).

After winning the UEFA Cup in 1975 and 1979, Die Fohlen have had a couple of difficult decades but appear to be on the rise again and impressed by finishing fourth in the Bundesliga last season.

They have once again strengthened this summer and look out for striker Luuk De Jong to make an impact in the first leg.

The Dutchman was linked with moves to both Newcastle and Spurs earlier this year but eventually opted to join Borussia and will be desperate to live up to his hype, especially in Europe.

Just like their opponents on Tuesday, Dynamo Kiev appear to be a team on the rise and are in the midst of building a side capable of emulating the heights of past years.

Key to their chances in Germany will be the performance of winger Andriy Yarmolenko who is one of Europe’s hottest prospects.

After a difficult start to his career, the 22-year-old seems to have settled down and a big performance at Borussia-Park could even see him seal a move away from the Ukrainian capital.

Like the other game, this looks like a tough one to call but Monchengladbach’s added quality should just carry them to a single goal victory (Monchengladbach 7/1 to win 2-1).

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No easy task for Bhoys

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Hearts are outstanding value at 9/2 to use their home advantage to cause a surprise upset against Celtic at Tynecastle on Sunday. Although the top two in the SPL are likely to surge clear from the rest of the pack this season, any side travelling to Hearts will find it tough to bring away anything from their ground.

Paulo Sergio’s side have won four of their five home league fixtures this season, conceding just one goal in the process. They have been difficult to break down, and have tasted defeat just once on home soil.

Despite a disappointing run of form away from home, Hearts are fourth in the SPL table and will relish the challenge of taking on Celtic in front of their home crowd. If they could improve on their results on the road, they could be a lot closer to the top two in the league.

Sergio does have the disappointment of not being able to select Andrew Driver into his squad on Sunday, he is struggling with the knee injury that has kept him out of action for large parts of this year. Whilst Marian Kello and Kevin Kyle are still are still on the sidelines. Otherwise it is a full strength side for the Portuguese man.

The visitors did have the distraction of a tough Europa League tie against Udinese on Thursday evening. As we have seen in the past, side’s often struggle from a European hangover when they return to domestic action the following weekend. They have just had two days to recover and prepare for this tricky SPL clash.

Neil Lennon’s side were denied a valuable victory over the Italians at Celtic Park, but were tested really hard against a club who ran Arsenal close in their Champions League qualifying defeat to the Gunners.

Joe Ledley was a casualty from the draw with Udinese. He was taken off at half-time with a groin injury, and will be a big loss to the midfield of the Bhoys.

Celtic have shown vulnerability at many points this season, none more so than throwing away a 2-1 lead in the Old Firm clash with Rangers, in which they eventually lost 4-2.

The Hoops are already seven points behind their rivals Rangers in the league, and their season hasn’t gone to plan so far, after being eliminated from the Europa League, but for the reprieve after Sion fielded an ineligible player against them in their victory.

It is unlikely to be anything other than a tight game at Tynecastle on Sunday, but take Celtic to fire blanks. Hearts can judge edge the three points with a 1-0 victory that is priced at 11/1. The home side may have to be patient, and continue to defend as well as they have done at home this season. However, they are more than capable of doing this.

They are likely to frustrate Lennon’s team, and with the backing of their home crowd, can add more torment to Celtic’s season so far.

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Bhoys to upset Udinese’s men

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After some dramatic action in the Champions League so far this week, it’s time for the Europa League to take centre stage on Thursday.

With Birmingham, Fulham and Celtic among the British teams in action, here we assess their chances in part one of our Europa preview.

NK Maribor v Birmingham

Birmingham’s first proper away trip in Europe has captured the imagination of the club’s followers, even if the visit to Slovenia to face the relatively-unknown Maribor looks like a low-key affair to outsiders.

Both sides need a win in Group H after they were beaten on Matchday One – Birmingham at home to Braga and Maribor at Bruges – but Blues are likely to find it tough going in the Stadion Ljudski Vrt.

Rangers were beaten 2-1 in a Europa League play-off here in August and the Slovenians have lost in six games at home in Europe. Chris Hughton is again likely to use a side mixed with youth and experience and, all things considered, the best he can hope for from this game is a draw.

Prediction: draw at 9/4.

Odense v Fulham

Martin Jol, unlike some of his fellow Premier League managers, has been fielding a virtually full-strength side so far in Europe and he is again set to play plenty of his big guns in Denmark.

A 1-1 draw against FC Twente at Craven Cottage last time out means a win is important if the Londoners are to qualify but, again, it looks like being a difficult night for Fulham.

Odense have yet to win against English opposition in Europe in six games and we cannot see that changing on Thursday but the draw looks another tempting bet.

Prediction: draw at 11/5.

Celtic v Udinese

Celtic’s return to the Europa League in place of Sion, who were expelled for fielding ineligible players, did not begin well with a 2-0 defeat against Atletico Madrid a fortnight ago.

They have home advantage against Udinese on Thursday but will not face an easy night after the Italians impressively saw off Rennes 2-0 on Matchday One.

Antonio Di Natale is their star man and he was on target in the Group I opener so the Bhoys will have to keep him quiet at Parkhead. Udinese will fancy their chances of getting something from the game but, with strong vocal backing from the home fans, we expect Neil Lennon’s side to rise to the occasion and secure what could prove to be a vital win.

Prediction – Celtic win at 5/4.

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Bhoys out to keep title race alive

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Glasgow giants Celtic are now having to play catch up in the Scottish Premier League and will have to pick up all three points against Kilmarnock on Sunday to stand any real chance of beating Old Firm rivals Rangers to the title (Kilmarnock 9/1, draw 21/5, Celtic 3/10).

The Hoops suffered a huge blow to their hopes of lifting the SPL trophy in the week when they went down 3-2 to Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

Caley have been a bogie team for Celtic in recent seasons but this most recent upset could cost manager Neil Lennon and his players the title.

The defeat was not the only bad news for Lennon, as he will now have to do without Beram Kayal for the rest of the season after the talented midfielder fractured his wrist in the second half at the Caledonian Stadium.

Kayal has been an outstanding addition to the Celtic squad this season and has been praised for his performances by Lennon this term.

The Bhoys have further absentees for their trip to Kilmarnock on Sunday, as strikers Georgios Samaras and Anthony Stokes are both suspended.

Their absence will certainly be a loss for Celtic up front and they will have to rely on the likes of Kris Commons and Gary Hooper (5/2 to score the first goal) for their goalscoring options.

At the back there are more injury concerns, with Glenn Loovens out with a strain whilst Charlie Mulgrew and Mark Wilson are both doubtful for the clash at Rugby Park.

Midfielder Joe Ledley remains out of action after he picked up a hamstring injury in the Old Firm clash against Rangers which ended 0-0 at Ibrox.

Samaras had a crucial late penalty saved by Rangers keeper Alan McGregor which could be a huge turning point in the SPL title race.

Celtic cannot think of what might have been when they face Kilmarnock, who have some injury woes of their own.

Jamie Hamill is out with a hamstring problem whilst Frazer Wright and Ryan O’Leary remain out of action.

The home side will be without James Fowler who is suspended for the clash against the Old Firm giants.

Kilmarnock have not picked up a win in their last five games but did battle out a hard fought 2-2 draw with Hearts in their last outing.

The Ayrshire club remain in fifth spot in the SPL table and will be pleased with their season so far.

With Celtic suffering a host of injuries and suspensions, it will be a tough ask to go to Rugby Park and pick up three points.

However, with the likes of Hooper and Commons still available the Hoops should still secure the win and keep the SPL title race alive.

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SPL aim for Bhoys

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Celtic chairman John Reid insists the club’s “fundamental objective” is to win the Scottish Premier League title this season (Celtic 8/11f – Outright).

The Bhoys have seen fierce rivals Rangers win back-to-back championships following a three-year reign as top dogs and Reid has identified new boss Neil Lennon’s primary goal.

Celtic saw their Champions League hopes dashed earlier in the summer – for the second season running – which means they now face a crunch qualifier against Utrecht this week just to make the Europa League (Celtic 7/10, draw 5/2, Utrecht 16/5 – 90 minutes).

And Reid told the BBC: “Whoever is appointed as manager of a club like Celtic, there is a gamble attached to it.

“But in Neil Lennon, we have a potentially great manager at Celtic. He’s a motivator and a leader, and he knows the club.

“Our fundamental objective is to win the league, as it is the gateway to Europe and the future.

“We want to go into the Europa League group stages. Of course, when you’re at Celtic, you’re expected to do that, and we want to do that.

“But the fundamental objective is the Scottish Premier League.”

Celtic have recorded losses of £2.13m to the year ending June 2010, with turnover down by 15% and their debt up to £5.85m.

However, Lennon has been backed in the transfer market this summer and has also raised by money from the sale of Aiden McGeady to Spartak Moscow last week.

Reid is now looking for Celtic to put the “false start” of the ill-fated Tony Mowbray era behind them and push on after insisting the club is on a sound financial footing.

He added: “It’s sustainable debt. It’s not out of control or anything of that nature.

“But we now start again, and I have to say that we have a renewed vigour and optimism created by Neil Lennon.

“There’s an urgency and passion about the club, so despite the difficulties, we know what we’ve got to do and we’re optimistic about the season ahead.

“We’re a strong club, we can pick ourselves up and start again. We’re up to the challenge.”

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Bhoys braced for Braga test

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Neil Lennon’s first competitive game in charge of Celtic since his appointment as the club’s permanent manager will be in Portugal against Braga in the third qualifying round of the Champions League (Celtic 4/5 – SPL 2010/11 Outright).

The Bhoys travel to the Iberian peninsula on either Tuesday July 27 or Wednesday July 28 for the first leg, ahead of the return clash at Parkhead a week later.

Last season, Celtic failed to make the group stage of the Champions League after coming up against Arsenal in the play-off round so Lennon will be hoping to get over his first big hurdle.

Should the Bhoys beat Braga, who were runners up to Benfica in the Portuguese Liga last season, then they will go into the play-off round again this time around where they could meet the likes of Tottenham, Sampdoria and Sevilla.

Celtic kick off their SPL campaign with a trip to Inverness on August 8 and they will hope to still be in with a shout of the Champions League proper by that time.

Braga have never been in the Champions League before in their 89-year history.

The Champions League final will take place on the much-maligned Wembley pitch on May 28, 2011.

Celtic continue their pre-season with a friendly against Manchester United in Toronto this weekend (Bhoys 4/1 to win).

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