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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Is the kick off 8pm UK time?
oglach
Yes, because Terrorrism and Terrorists are BAD!!!
Craig Whyte’s roof is off the radar.
Hunfiltator ALERT
Evening all. Can anyone name 11 Celtic players whose surname ends with the letter i ? Thanks in advance Hail Hail Hebcelt
Serge says:
15 December, 2011 at 17:56
yes
Shamrock Rovers on itv4 v Spurs. Now.
Cmon the Hoops.
Por Cierto says:
15 December, 2011 at 14:30
If its not the SNP then who do you vote for next time round?
Well you surely cannot vote for any of the main political parties, Labour,Tories or Liberals, because after all, when they were displaying and openly proud of their sectarian employment policy, not one of these political raised a voice against it…Not One…
Not even the Glasgow Council made any kind of remarks whatsoever about it, and it was only miles for their HQ.
So the best party for a load of tims to vote for is, The Greens…por cierto.
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You have raised this about GCC not commenting on the employment practices of RFC before.
As a Labour Councillor with GCC I was un-aware that before I joined the Council that the then District Council had any powers over employment law.
You really are clutching at straws in defending your Sectarian National Party, we have been accused of many things but never of protecting RFC, if you knew the composition of the old District Council and even the unitary GCC you could not be further from the truth.
I personally was threatened (2nd hand) that I would be named personally by David Murray at the last AGM he attended because he was under the impression that I was obstructing the sale of land to RFC and the masterplan for the new stadium and hotels (as if would) he never named me but he named GCC.
Strangely enough he never got anything off GCC and he could not use the masterplan to plug the hole left by the loss of his casino.
My full story on my part in the demise of RFC I will save for memoirs
But the point you make about GCC somehow not being critical of RFC is laughable
donegalbhoy67
Thank you
Evening bhoys, cool and hun free as ever.
Hard game tonight, not expecting anything, a decent performance against a quality team will do me, but where there is life there is hope.
AS we have nothing to lose I personally go for it, but I imagine Lenny will try and keep it tight, as long as we don’t concede early doors we have a chance.
Most important is avoiding any injuries.
hebcelt
Zurawski
hebcelt says:
15 December, 2011 at 18:02
Macari for starters mate!
HH
/Bishop B
Enrico Annoni
Massimo Donati
Joe Filippi
Du Wei
Ki(Chancer)
Annoni
Zhi
hebcelt
Luigi Macari -thats two of them!
Cha Du-Ri?
HH
/Bishop B
Cervi!
Cervi
Cervi
HH
/Bishop B
“Two Craigie Whytes, there’s only two Craigie Whytes…”
(oooops! Am I allowed to write/chant/think that, Alex?)
Ugolini,goalie back in days of yore
Dziewanofski,or something like that
Given that wee craigie is a billionair, now given he may only be a dollar billionair, he has so much dollars that they will wrap around the plant nearly 4 times.
That’s how far off the radar he is………
sixtaeseven
At the last count I think it had gone up to 3 CW’s.
Dariusz Dziekanowski
HH
/Bishop B
big polish striker, jackie ……oski ( spelling)
Paul McSteye
Must be cold in Dublin – there all wearing gloves!!
If theres one thing that I cannot stand its footballers wearing gloves.
And tights!********
And those things round there necks!
No wonder the game is going to the dogs.
Not the Big Yogi- one.
P
Chris ‘Hun Skelper’ Sutton and John Collins will be part of the commentary / analysis team on ESPN for the game. Good to have a couple of true Celts on. Hope Uncle Tim Burley isn’t commentating – he just annoys the bejaysus out of me
I’m wearing tights and gloves
and no because it’s cold
2-0 spurs
WDH
The wife and I had a night in the m/well dakota the other week – one of the best steaks I’ve had put down to me. And then there was the dessert wine…
Ugolini
Renowned for attempting to punch a cross ball away,missing,and accidentally punching a Rangers player in the face.
Unfortunately.
Back in the mists of time.
hope the bhoys give it a lash
Still one nil to spurs 35 mins