ANGE POSTECOGLOU acknowledges Celtic are facing “a top football team with fantastic players and a brilliant manager” tomorrow night.
But it will not stop the manager taking risks in having a go at holders and 14-times winners of the trophy Real Madrid in the opening Champions League Group F encounter under the lights in the east end of Glasgow.
Postecoglou insists he will not change the style of play that has brought the team seven successive victories this season with 29 goals claimed, including nine against Dundee United at Tannadice eight days ago and four against Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s Ibrox side at the weekend.
RISKY BUSINESS…Ange Postecoglou refuses to change his game-plan for Real Madrid.
He has prepared his players for something of the same against Carlo Ancelotti’s superstars and said: “If there’s a system that doesn’t give you risk, then I’d love to hear it.
“If there’s something that you can guarantee me tomorrow night that if I play this way, you’ll guarantee will minimise risk, then it doesn’t exist.
“Any system you play, any approach you take, there’s inherent risk. But sometimes, the greater the risk, the greater the opportunity.
“We’re trying to do things a little bit differently. We don’t want to be like every other team. With that, there’s always the possibility that you’ll stumble.
“That’s fine. I’ve stumbled in the past. The important thing is you dust yourself off and keep going. It’s not about being confident of winning. All we can do is control our performance.”
BACK IN THE OLD ROUTINE…Ange Postecoglou takes charge of Celtic training at Lennoxtown this morning.
Postecoglou, speaking to the Daily Record, added: “Every game we play, we try and play the game a certain way and be the best we can be in every game.
“That’s what we’ve done in every game so far, it’s what we did last year and it’s what we’ll try and do tomorrow night.
“We’ll try and play our football, be the best team we can be and the end result is often a consequence of strong performance.
“There’s no point in us thinking about winning, losing or any other result. The first thing we want to do is make sure we perform, because we’re playing against a top football team with fantastic players and a brilliant manager.
“What we want to do is go out there and offer the best of ourselves to measure up against that.”
THE REAL DEAL…Liel Abada, fresh from his two goals at the weekend, goes through his paces as he prepares to take on the European champions tomorrow night.
It was business as usual for the Hoops manager and his players at Lennoxtown this morning as they got ready for a momentous occasion in front of a sell-out crowd.
Kyogo Furuhashi, who had to be withdrawn in the fourth minute with a shoulder problem on Saturday, trained with his team-mates although there was no sign of Carl Starfelt who limped off just before the hour mark with a knee injury.
Moritz Jenz, who replaced the Swede, is standing by to take over again against the Spanish giants.
