ANGE POSTECOGLOU fired out a rallying call to the Celtic players and fans as he prepared for tomorrow night’s vitally important Champions League second round qualifier against FC Midtjylland.
With the tie balanced at 1-1 following last week’s draw in Glasgow, the Hoops boss remains adamant he can build on the positives from the first meeting against the Danes who were gifted their equaliser by keeper Vasilis Barkas.
Postecoglou said: “We had another week of training and the friendly game on Saturday, which had its good and disappointing bits. It’s all about learning and developing and we’ve had another week of helping the players understand how I want them to play.
“From that perspective we’re a lot further along in terms of our preparation.”
The former Australia international manager, speaking to Celtic TV, added: “The path that we’re on, we’re keen to continue on that. Winning tomorrow makes a significant difference in terms of the next few weeks and the games we’ll have before us.
“We totally understand the significance of the game, we’re prepared for it and, hopefully, we can get a good performance and result.
“European football is important, it’s one of the main priorities for the club and this year is no different. We are in transition, but you just don’t discount things because of your current circumstances.
“The reality is there’s an opportunity here to progress to the next round. We performed well in the first game and we’ve given ourselves the chance to progress.
“That’s absolutely a priority – and should always be a priority.”
Naturally, the Parkhead gaffer will not be drawn on his team selection, but Israeli teenager Liel Abada, who scored on his debut against the Danes, could be in the starting line-up again.
The exciting winger had to be sacrificed following Nir Bitton’s foolish red card that saw the Hoops go down to 10 men just before the interval. Postecoglou hauled off the teen ace and put on Dane Murray to partner Stephen Welsh in central defence.
There is a lot for the new boss to ponder before tomorrow’s 6.45pm kick-off.
