JOHN McGINN is backing Celtic to beat Club Brugge in the vital Champions League clash at Parkhead tomorrow night.
Aston Villa’s self-confessed Hoops fan got a close-up view of the Belgians earlier this month when the Midlands club were beaten 1-0 in the Jay Breydel stadium in Europe’s elite competition.
It took a second-half penalty-kick to dump Villa and McGinn has marked Brendan Rodgers’ card over the three dangermen to keep a particular eye on during matchday five.
The Scotland international midfielder said: “They have left-winger Christos Tzolis, who used to be at Norwich. He caused us a lot of problems.
“They have striker Ferran Jutgla who was really old-fashioned, robust and had his shorts tucked up right to his chest. He actually looked like a Juniors striker, but he was one of the best players on the park.
“They were organised and we couldn’t really break them down. They let us have a lot of the ball and then they broke fast.
“They have really good young right-sided Ecuadorian centre-back, Joel Ordonez. He was excellent.
“But I think at home, Celtic will be too strong for them. I watched the game against Leipzig and if they play anywhere near as good as that then I’m sure that they won’t have any issues.”
CRUNCH…John McGinn launches into a tackle on Kieran Tierney during Celtic’s 2-2 draw with Hibs at Easter Road in December 2017.
Ironically, McGinn is likely to line up against his boyhood heroes when Rodgers takes his team to Villa Park for the eighth and final match on January 29 where a place in the money-spinning knock-out stages could be up for grabs.
The 30-year-old middle-of-the-park powerhouse, of course, came close to joining a first time-around Rodgers in the east end of Glasgow in the summer of 2018 before being lured to the English club.
It looked as though a deal from Hibs was about to be finalised before a set of circumstances – one being the fact McGinn would not be guaranteed a first-team place at Celtic – saw him veer off track and head for the Midlands outfit.
McGinn, the grandson of former Hoops chairman Jack, told the Premier Sports Scottish Football Social Club: “The stories about that whole saga have grown arms and legs over the years and it winds me up.
“When I was young all I ever dreamed about was playing for Celtic. But I have got two-and-a-half years left at Villa, whether that sees me off or if I’ve still got something left in the tank we will see.
“You never know. You never say never.”
