Confidence and belief, only delivery to come

There will be little Ronny Deila doesn’t know about Molde. His confidence ahead of tonight’s game will be based on a genuine belief that Celtic are the better team, that the game plan is right for the occasion, and that his players are ready.

As a group, they need to perform to the mark they are capable of. Most importantly, they need to harvest the regret for the points and progress they’ve let slip away already during this season’s European campaign. A win, a good defensive performance, and if possible, a clean sheet, will go a long way towards setting up the second half of the season.

My expectation is that we’ll get it right.

Best wishes to Johan Cruyff, who let it be known today he is fighting lung cancer. He deserves to be mentioned alongside Pele and Maradona as one of the greatest players to have graced a football field. I spoke to Tommy Gemmell last year about the greats he’d played against. Eusebio was a phenomenon but Tommy was clear: he had nothing on Cruyff.

It’s 24 years since Johan stopped smoking but although quitting quickly brings mortality benefits, the experts tells us it takes 40 years of abstention before the likelihood of catching cancer reaches the same levels of non-smokers – a clear call to action, if you’re in need of one.