After 14 games Udinese sit joint top of Serie A with Juventus. For a club who challenged, unsuccessfully, for the league only once before, and that was over half a century ago, this is unquestionably the best team in their history. Their home record in the league reads: played 7, won 7, scored 14, conceded 2; they also won Europa League home games against Atletico and Rennes.
They have taken 4 out of 6 points from the San Siro this season and have failed to win only one of their last eight league games. You would be hard pushed to justify nominating anyone else as the ‘form team’ in Europe right now.
This is the test Celtic need. Few positive lessons can be learned from home games against St Mirren, even if they deliver a deluge of goals, but a field in Udine tonight presents our aspiring winners with a stage to demonstrate their potential. Before this month is out we will have different challenges; St Johnstone, Kilmarnock and Rangers present different dangers, but any team that can win in Udine can beat anyone in Europe.
We’ll witness 90 minutes of difficult personal challenges for Celtic players all over the field tonight. It will take more than just concentration to deny goal scoring chances and any opportunities we get in front of goal will be hard earned.
There are reasons to be hopeful. A decade ago a team of equally illustrious Italians were rocked by Celtic, so much so they reverted to diving in the box. Gordon Strachan’s un-fancied Celtic team subsequently took AC Milan to extra time at the San Siro in Champions League, denied by a legitimate penalty claim of their own. There is also the nagging feeling that Celtic’s resources are actually more suited to the counter-attacking game they are seldom able to play. We’ll see.
Birthday wishes to Kano today (or yesterday as it now is in Perth, WA), a child of ‘67. Two years home and still itching for get hold of the keyboard for the songs debate.
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Get in there
In
and again
Top 5?
1-2 to the good guys tonight it is :)
Forster
Cha Du-Ri
Wanyama
Majstorovich
Mulgrew
Ki
Forrest
Brown
Kayal
Samaras
Stokes
Prediction-Udinese 1 Celtic 2 (Bangura 90 ,Hooper 90 +3)
wishfulthinkingcelticsupportersclub
Serge
Did you get my reply on previous thread?
Happy Birthday Kano.
C’mon the HOOPS.
MWD
Another great article Paul67 – and about football too!
Expect the worse and hope for the best tonight.
HH
Paul 67
You bring ghood omens….
Off oot.
May God Bless ‘Every’ Celtic Fan
Udinese 1-2 Celtic
Paddy not even travelling, so I’d go Zaluska; Cha, Wanyama, Dan, Mulgrew; Brown, Kayal, Ki; Forrest, Hooper, Samaras.
Goalie aside, I think that will be the team tonight.
It would be soooo good to get a win tonight.
C’mon the Celts !!!
Happy Birthday Kano!
We can do this tonight, not above us. Nothing is.
HH.
maxibhoy
Rome Hotels
Rome food
up_over_goal says:
15 December, 2011 at 12:16
The only reason I think he might is that we’re caught quite short at the back. It would have to be Wanyama if it’s not Wilson as Matthews/Ledley/El Kaddouri are unavailable at LB so Mulgrew has to slot in there.
Wanyama would be more useful in midfield than Ki tonight in my opinion and the staff keep saying Wilson is fully fit, physically and mentally.
Not sure.
If we get away with a 1-0 defeat, then i’ll be happy.
Celtic Soul Brother- Supporting Kano 1000 says:
15 December, 2011 at 12:23
Be surprised if you’ve not got that team spot on.
brimmer
Philvis got his screen-scraper switched off?
From last thread (re hypothetical results providing, erm, pleasure)…
Which gives you more pleasure?
Celtic winning the treble this season or
HMRC recording a walkover v the huns in March.
Settling quickly and not conceding early is a must tonight, the longer it stays 0-0 the more i think we’ll do the biz.
Many happy returns Kano HH
Ohits
Just read it there mate, I’m the same I’ve got 2 days worth of flights on Tuesday so hope it’s ok at the other end.
Cape verde on 15th Jan day after Dundee United so won’t manage a pint if your on hol. another time though i hope. Not going to Jordan until mid Feb.
Any bets done for tonight? HH
Disappointed though that it’s audio only on Ch67 for tonight.
Don’t know if there’s a reason why they can’t get a live viseo feed?
Kittoch (from previous)
It will come back! There is a programme exception being triggered by some of the CQN videos.
Don’t know the cause yet but will update you as and when my technical brain kicks in and I find the source of the evil black and white jigsaw face.
Meanwhile……
Surely no one still hits F5 to get a ‘podium’.
Noel90 and I sussed out ages ago the simple mechanism to ensure top billing. We could even knock ourselves off the no 1 spot and then reinstate our top ranking.
Easy peasy lemon squeezy as we used to snigger! :-) The secret will of course go to the grave with us…although bribery is an acceptable currency! :-)
Still, if you want to keep hitting that F5………
Hail Hail
Estadio
needed to get my mickey mantle back after BRTH’s good shout earlier.
Out for a throw-in
As a supporter of Celtic for over 50 years I have developed a deep affinity with my club, in whatever guise it’s current form takes.
I started watching Celtic from the enclosure in front the main stand in the early sixties before we had any success. Indeed my clearest recollection of that time, aside big Billy’s headed goals, is of a Dunfermline player suffering a broken leg in a challenge with the original Yogi just in front of where I stood.
I saw us beat Man U 4-1 in 1966 to start the ball rolling for thee season, witnessed each home tie on the way to Lisbon, but never made it there myself.
I revelled in the Stein years and grew accustomed to fame and glory.
I have endured the hard times when titles were bought by some and won by north easterners, to the return of The King and the good times right through to today.
I have watched Jinky, The Lions, Danny, Kenny, the Maestro, Lubo, young Charlie Nick, Naka and Henrik among others. I have welcomed the best teams of Europe to Paradise and revelled in our, often, successful battles against them.
Now I sit at Paradise and support a Lenny led team as they try to build a new era in as austere a time as I can remember.
Never once has it crossed my mind to withdraw my support of the club I love, Celtic.
It simply is not an option, you may as well ask me to fly.
Now I know that I am fortunate to have the means to afford my season ticket and I have the great fortune to live close enough to Paradise to go there daily should I choose. I am indeed blessed.
What I would like to question is those people who come on here to post negatively, who do not attend games to support Celtic, who concoct fanciful notions of people within Celtic actively working against Celtic, who talk about walking away from supporting Celtic is this:
Do you not feel what it is like to be a Celtic supporter?
If you knew what it was to be Celtic supporter you could not walk away by choice.
EC67
I do not include anyone whose personal circumstances preclude them from participating as fully as possible in the Celtic family experience.
Estadio
had a chat with Mr 90 yesterday booked him in for some arbeit in the new year.
Happy Birthday to Kano. Hoe you had a good one mate.
As for tonight, hopefully we’ll see Udinese treating the game with the same contempt that their owner claims to have for it!
No di Natale will be a good start thats for sure.
Will still be difficult as they wont want to lose their current home record, but we have nothing really to lose, so lets see us go for it…….but without taking our eye off the ball that is the SPL. Dont want to lose another key player to injury!
Will this be another great night to add to our European history???
Would love to think so.
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
The Idiot, I hear you, what a joy to talk about football.
KevJungle, we try.
up_over_goal says:
15 December, 2011 at 12:26
Paddy not even travelling, so I’d go Zaluska; Cha, Wanyama, Dan, Mulgrew; Brown, Kayal, Ki; Forrest, Hooper, Samaras.
—————————————————————————–
I’m shocked mate. Usually you have Paddy in your team even when he’s not in the squad ;)
But at least you’ve been consistent with still having Zaluska! I think FF could pull off a Gordon Banks V Pele type save and you’d still put Zaluska in goals.
brimmer
Serge
Only away for 1 week so will be back for the D Utd game will mail you nearer the time.
Dont like these Europa games for a bet , too many weakened teams played after teams have qualified or otherwise.
My team for tonight
……………………Forster
.Cha……….Dan…………Wilson……..Mulgrew
……….Brown……Kayal…….Wanyama
Forrest………………………………………..Samaras
……………………Stokes
Zaluska Ki Hooper Bangura ? ? ?
Saw this and thought of DBBIA, BSR & Eurochamps….
http://www.buyometric.co.uk/offer_56234
hh
bjmac
I feel some of the gloating chants of the podium seekers in here offensive and abusive. As a football forum I am sure you will face dawn raids in the New Year.
I do not have to name names. You all know who you are. It is a disease that affects all classes even Philvis’s.
4-0 good guys
Gordon_J backing Neil Lennon says:
15 December, 2011 at 11:16
I see a few people predicting a draw tonight. Is that a realistic assessment of our chances or a desire for an honerable exit from the competition?
————————————————————————
The latter for me. To put it into context,the Barca u19 team who I watched V Celtic would imo finish top half in our league, assuming of course they got a bit of protection from the cloggers.
But they are that good,compared to the standard we play in the SPL.
A first team on top of serie A are miles ahead of us at the moment. I want to give them a fright, compete with them for the 90 and i’d take a draw.
brimmer
googybhoy ♥ Kano 1000 says:
15 December, 2011 at 12:38
I had a Dawn raid once before.
Frightening lady (and I use that term loosely, which is somewhat apt)
BJmac
Thanks! Christmas come early. Dealtastic!
You didnae sell THE autograph to pay for it did you?
EC67
Paul67
I feel a ‘Dynamo Moscow’ will be happening tonight. Samaras and Forrest, 2-1 to the Tic!
HH