Fifa yesterday banned Benfica and Brazil central defender Luisão from all football activities until November for knocking a referee unconscious in a preseason game against Fortuna Dusseldorf in August.
Benfica didn’t expect Luisão to be available for tonight’s Champions League game against Celtic but the decision, coming a day before kick-off, will do nothing for morale. While they lost midfielders Javi Garcia and Axel Witsel to Manchester City and Zenit late in the transfer window, it shouldn’t be forgotten that Benfica spent well over £20m this summer. The new guys will no doubt eventually prove their worth, but right now they remain very much the new guys. Celtic have to make them feel a long way from home tonight.
During our last successful Champions League group stage in 2007 we concluded that it was more important not to make mistakes at this level than to try to score the perfect goal. If we get a solid performance from Scott Brown and Victor Wanyama in front of a defence which clears its lines and takes no chances, the stage will be set for James Forrest and Gary Hooper. I expect both to hurt Benfica.
It was interesting to hear our chief executive take questions on the subject of EBTs and the health of our club yesterday. More on this after the matter in hand has passed.
Support a Scottish World Champion Boxer: Ricky BurnsOn Saturday 22nd September, lifelong Celtic fan Ricky Burns is defending Scotland’s honour against England’s Kevin Mitchell in an unmissable World Championship boxing clash!
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Didn’t know till last night, but
When I laugh its in Gaelic!!!!
p
Philvis- very droll.
0-1 ht 2-1 ft <o)))
Totally off topic but something I forgot to mention earlier in the week:
If you like to laugh, as Philvis does: AHAHAHAHAHAHA! there is a sparkling little gem of a new TV comedy show you must watch, called “Moone Boy”.
The trailers for it looked a bit crap but it is in fact very funny and quirky and lovable. Father Ted funny and quirky and lovable.
In fact, if you watch it and don’t agree that it’s the funniest thing currently on TV, I will come round to your house and do karate on you.
So, Moone Boy.
It’s on Sky 1 and, ahem, file sharing sites. You know what I mean. (thumbsup)
jude2005
Paddy creates space by running at and through players, that’s what makes him special !
South Of Tunis
12:27 on 19 September, 2012
Hard times ——-
Only 28k at the San Siro to watch Milan struggle to a 0-0 against Anderlecht .
Milan were jeered off at half time
Milan were jeered off at full time …..
Milan have sold 18,276 season tickets . The figure for season 2009 -2010 was 59,197.
_______________________________________
Serie A needs a strong rangers….
I can see 4-2-3-1 tonight with Mathews and Izzy full backs Wilson and Rogne in the centre and Brown and Wanyama just in front of the back four.
Hooper lone striker with Commons supporting, Forrest wide and Mulgrew in front of Izzy for protection.
Given our injuries in midfield this might be our best formation.
Lassad looked good on the left mind you in his short stint on Saturday.
Regardless looking forward to it!
Mon the Hoops!
RobinBhoy
come on the Celts
philvis..,
watched it and thought the trailers caugth it exactly, but will give it another chance.
Big pals just heard the Ramsdead reeesult!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Foahtz9xnw8
I cannot wait for tonight…. E-X-C-I-T-E-D
The LHS of midfield is a tricky one without Sammy. I don’t think Commons is particularly effective there… not fast enough to be a winger.
So he needs to play in the hole behind Hooper.
So do we play Charlie there for his crossing ability? Not sure… we’re going to be playing a fair bit of counter attacking football tonight and again I don’t think he’s fast enough. On the plus side he will help out Izzy in defence.
I would be tempted to put James out there (he cant cross with his right foot anyway ;o) ) and put Matthews on the right of midfield.
That gives us some real speed on both flanks with Hooper and Commons in the middle.
Brown and Wanyama behind them and then Lustig, Chaz, Rogne and Izzy at the back.
FFM
Not lately he hasnt. Luv the guy btw.
oooh, I forgot about Lassad. Didn’t see him play at the weekend. How was he on the left? Sammi esque?
Jude….,
Paddy generally only goes on runs when there are no or few options available, nowadays, his distribution and defensive games are far better than Commons and Forrest, so its one or the other for me, unless Lenny has seen enough of our new bhoys to throw one in.
I would take a draw tonight.Portuguese football is very strong right now(,Benfica sold 2 guys last week for £40 mil).I think 3 of last 4 EL finalists from Portugal,Aimer and Cardozo could play in most top sides in Europe,and Rodrigo is tipped for a big move too.I am usually an attacking type of punter,specially at home,but 4-5-1 might get us a result tonight.Izzy and Adam have been hesitant and positionally caught out on numerous times already this season.I would play Mulgrew and Lustig at full backs with Wilson and Rogne in CD.Most of all IMO,our inability to keep possession of the ball is our biggest weakness.We really need a playmaker in midfield to keep the ball and play passes with purpose.We get the ball and continually play it square and eventually back,to get punted forward,we have to be braver in possession.A draw will keep us in it going to Moscow.Of course I hope I am wrong and we turn in another famous home performance in the CL,and will look forward to the stick I get after the game.Sorry to be so negative but that’s my take on things.HH
Voguepunter
Ra tah tah tah tah ;-)
Its ok as long as it is not a bee gees song.
Thats why I stopped using the radio as an alarm. Whatever garbage was being played I´d hum it the whole day.
My wife now uses child psychology and my stomach to get me up in the morning.
I do love her and I do not envy her that job one bit
Hail Hail
McCourt, even if fit would not be on from the start imo. Not sure that Paddy is fit enough or focussed enough.
They dont know the Tony Bhoy BTW. Cld sting them early!!! Get him on Neil.
I love Celtic in the Champions League. It’s the sheer experience of it. Every game is an entirely new story, different from the last one, and the next.
Tonight Benfica. They are a European class team, quarter finalists last year, and well worthy of their Pot 2 seeding. By rights, they ought to be favourites tonight, but this is Celtic, playing at Celtic Park, in the competition that brought our club so wonderfully to the world’s attention.
Ledley and Samaras are the big losses from the team for this game. Ordinarily our midfield would start with Wanyama or Kayal sitting, with Brown and Ledley either side, and Samaras left with Commons or Forrest on the other side.
The shape is right, but we don’t have two key components.
Tonight therefore I think Lenny will be inclined to put Charlie Mulgrew in Ledley’s role, with Lassad wide for Sammi, and Izzy at left back.
Commons or Forrest on the other side unless Lassad is deemed unready, in which case Commons and Forrest left and right. Either way, the right back will have a job coping with what’s not done ahead of him, hence the importance of Brown’s shift.
I have great hope that Matthews will become a top player, and while Lustig is more experienced, he’s not as good a footballer. Give Matthews the shout depsite a recent form blip.
Rogne and Wilson at the back then.
Hooper on his tod up front, with options from Miku and Watt on the bench, plus the spare from Forrest/Commons.
Winning is important tonight, but not as important as being there.
TBB
I think Tony Watt will score tonight.
Any time will do – as long as we win!
HH!!
jude2005,
That’s cos he’s now expected to prove he can run around more by ye olde Faithful!
Anyhoos, not looking for a discussion on it, am just grabbing the chance to point score with you after you corrected me about the true parenthood of Yogi Hughes Jnr several years ago ;)
Old Wounds CSC
Neil Canamalar @ 12.34
I believe he’s been back in training for just over a week. Lenny will probably think it’s too early for him, but I would play him for part of the game. Thought he was sensational against General Franco’s team.
FFM
Got me there. Please explain. Saw Yogi the other day.
I imagine that Neil Lennon has noted that Benfica’s left back —- Lorenzo Melgarejo is really a left winger .
Benfica websites indicate that many fans think he is a real weak link . The Portuguese media don’t rate him ..
I hope I am wrong,and if played, both Hooper and Forrest have great games……….However, neither have shown much application against less testing opposition so what makes us think they will suddenly turn up.
What Benfica do not like is being ruffled,Hooper will not do that,so he should be benched and Watt should play.
No sentiment in business.
canamalar – You must have accidentally swallowed a whole bottle of crazy pills if you didn’t think Moone Boy was hilarious, because it was.
Hilarious! (thumbsup)
Still caught up in the afterglow.
Queen of the South beat Queen (‘s XI) of the Stone Age…
exca44
Ditto 2 that H H
philvisreturns
“All creatures will make merry …………………… under pain of death.! (Ming the Merciless)
You have to admire his style of management. I hear Charlie Green is about to adopt it.
Can´t believe the positivity I am reading on here today.
I pray that you are all right and that my panic attacks have been unfounded.
Hail Hail
One of my close friends of many years was Tim Cooke. Tim was Professor of Surgery at the Royal Infirmary in Glasgow when he was killed prematurely in a car accident when returning from Manchester to Glasgow with his family after his annual holiday. The recent report on the Hillsborough disaster brought back many sad memories.
We knew each professionally and socially: we lingered over a small shandy from time to time as an excuse to talk about football and soemtiems work on rare ocassions. Tim was from Liverpool and a great supporter of Liverpool FC. His feelings for Liverpool were nearly as strong as were mine for Celtic. As such, he was a spectator on the terracing at the match at Hillsborough.
He was on the pitch as the drama unfolded and introduced himself to the police as a senior surgeon. He was refused assistance from the force as he attempted to organise some form of triage (aimed at savings the lives of those who could still be saved). Following the tragedy he wrote a lengthy account which he sent to the relevant authorities. There are some extracts from his account in “The Report of the Hillsborough Independent Panel”.
I had never seen anyone as angry when he would talk about the lack of coordination which compounded the tragedy. Months, even years afterwards you could see and feel the hurt and rage which he felt and was still feeling. Tim was a surgeon whose whole professional raison d’être was to save lives. His frustration and anger emanated from his professional judgement that some of the lives which were lost could have been saved. He was there and he saw it all at first hand: it was not a view expressed by the Monday Quarter-back.
I thought of Tim when the report was published vindicating the Liverpool supporters and strongly suggesting a coordinated cover-up by the authorities. It is difficult to escape the conclusion that had there been such a level of coordination shown by the authorities at the match, the outcome could have been so much different for many of the dead and their families.
Tim Cooke, RIP. You’ll never walk alone.
philvis..,
IYO and your opinion is flawed as you continually demonstrate :o)
DubaiBhoy (nee LondonBhoy)
12:47 on 19 September, 2012
oooh, I forgot about Lassad. Didn’t see him play at the weekend. How was he on the left? Sammi esque?
More early Sammiesque. He did on a couple of occaisions pick out good passes to players, giving them a shot on goal. He shows promise.
jude2005,
Due to my MSM-following erroneous ways of the 90s, I had been led to believe John Hughes Jnr and Snr were father and son.
You politely corrected me.
But I haven’t forgotten…ohhhhh no ;)
PS reading some of the comments, will be interesting to see if Paddy is in the squad tonight. Might even stick a tenner on him scoring then :)))
Oops I should have closed the Quotation marks and didn’t need the full stop.
“soemtiems” should be “sometimes”. Oops.
skyisa…,
and what leads you to that opinion
Awe Naw,
We go in as underdogs tonight (ref. bookies’ odds).
That’s always a good sign – however, it also usually means we play out of our skins and are the victims of some dicky refereeing.