MORITZ JENZ had a bitter sweet experience when he made his Champions League debut last week.
Celtic’s on-loan defender was delighted to get the nod from manager Ange Postecoglou to start against European king pins Real Madrid at a sold-out Parkhead.
Jenz, who agreed a season-long loan from French outfit Lorient last month, took over from Carl Starfelt who sustained an injured knee in the 4-0 romp against Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s shell-shocked Ibrox side just four days earlier.
CELTIC VIEWS…Moritz Jenz looks forward to his second Champions League appearance.
However, there was to be no glorious baptism at Europe’s elite level for the 6ft-plus German centre-back as Carlo Ancelotti’s men recovered from a rocky 50 minutes or so to gain a 3-0 triumph in the east end of Glasgow.
Jenz will almost certainly make his second Euro appearance against Shaktar Donetsk in Warsaw this evening with Starfelt out of action for the remainder of the month at least.
The classy back-four operator said: “For me, it’s another great match for my career and for the team and another great game to play.
“We’re prepared and focused to play and put in a good performance.
HEAD OVER HEELS…Moritz Jenz scores with an acrobatic effort in the 5-0 win over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.
“Last week’s game we went head-to-head with Real Madrid for 60 minutes, but we need to continue to be more clinical with our chances and see the game out.”
Jenz, speaking to Celtic TV, added: “We expect Shakhtar to let us have the ball and try hit us on the counter, but we’re used to this in Scotland. We have the ball a lot and we’re prepared and ready for the match.
“Obviously, every away game is a tough challenge, but it’s up to us to play the game and be cool in our heads and be clinical.
“I think going into every match, we need to get the result, so it’s up to us to start strong and perform well and be ready for the opponent.”
* DON’T miss the unbeatable match report from Shakhtar Donetsk v Celtic this evening – only in your champion CQN
