SCOTT BROWN is looking forward to the draw at High Noon today.
Nothing at all to do with the Gary Cooper classic western, of course, but the Hoops old gunslinger is convinced the champions won’t be firing blanks when they discover their Europa League group stages opponents in the ballot in Nyon, Switzerland.
The 35-year-old Celtic skipper put in another excellent 90 minutes in the play-off victory over Sarajevo in Bosnia where Odsonne Edouard snapped up the only goal of the game in the 70th minute.
Brown and his team-mates travelled back to Scotland today and will prepare for the weekend Premiership encounter with St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park.
Before embarking on another battle for three crucial league points, the midfield powerhouse reflected on last night’s victory and also cast an eye towards this afternoon’s draw.
Brown, speaking to the Celtic website, said: “It was always going to be hard while the pitch wasn’t the best. We couldn’t get our natural game going, we had to dig deep, we had to fight, but, overall, it was a great performance by the lads.
“We defended really well, we had a couple of chances and we played as well as we possibly could do on a not-so-good pitch.
“We got some great games last year and played some good football, as well, in some great stadiums, so for us to go away to Lazio and get a win in Italy for the first time in the club’s history was phenomenal. To also beat Lazio at home – it was two good performances.
“But you need to do the hard graft to start with and coming here definitely was. It wasn’t the best pitch or the best stadium but you’ve got to come here and you’ve got to win the game, no matter what happens.
“We will just see what happens and we’re just looking forward to the draw now.”
Brown turned his attention to the league match and added: “It’s going to be a hard game. St Johnstone are going to think we’ll be a little bit tired, especially with us playing on Thursday and then travelling home, but the lads are ready for it.
“We’ve got a great squad and we’re looking forward to another good game. That’s what we thrive off of, the games coming thick and fast.”
Coincidently, Sunday’s confrontation in Perth is also a High Noon showdown. Celtic’s big guns will be focused on another three points.
AWESOME ODSONNE IS EURO MATCHWINNER
