You would always fancy a hungry team, Leigh, Ibrox tickets

Tonight we face one of the strongest teams in the Europa League.  Salzburg have won all five group games, reached last season’s semi-finals (where they were robbed) and are out of sight in their domestic league.

We held a halftime lead in the away game but Salzburg wore us down and eventually exploited every weakness.  We have a long and hard 90 minutes ahead.

Despite this, there is reasons to be confident.  Celtic are playing as well as they have in a year, perhaps longer.  And no matter the quality of opposition, Celtic Park is always a difficult place to travel to.  It intimidates visitors just as it inspires Celtic players.

Salzburg are three days away from their winter break, Celtic will undoubtedly be the hungrier team.  You would always fancy a hungry team over a team that had already achieved.

I have no doubt Leigh Griffiths will get all the help necessary to see him make a full and complete recovery from what ails him.  He has the support of the club, his loved ones and the entire Celtic family, and will receive the best help money can buy.

Going from being a successful internationally recognised athlete, to so publicly stepping away from the frontline due to personal issues, will give others permission to do likewise.  There are thousands like Leigh living and working among us, yet to ask for help.  If a confident, alpha male, like Leigh can stop his life to get some professional help, you can too.

I suspect Celtic would have been happy for the police to suggest taking 750 tickets for Ibrox was unsafe, but as this is not the case, they had little choice but to accept.  Starting a boycott would have been straightforward, the problem comes when you want to end it years later.

Newco are in this situation with the BBC.  They banned Chris McLaughlin from Ibrox in 2015, resulting in a show of solidarity from the BBC with their journalist.  The ban was lifted temporarily before some people noticed and got really angry, so it was re-imposed.  Now the whole business looks like a disproportionate act, especially as few can remember why the ban was introduced.

Having taken a public stance Newco have been unable to change their mind and admit journalists, whether they report on arrests or not (the reason Chris McLaughlin was banned).

If Celtic were to decline tickets for Ibrox due to safety concerns, it will be difficult for them to reverse this stance in years to come as no circumstances would change.  You can be sure Newco will not revert to the previous ticket arrangement, having succumbed to requests to inhibit Celtic celebrations at their home ground.

And besides, how many Newco fans are anywhere near the ground at full time?  As long as fans get to the ground safely, they should have the freedom of Glasgow to make their way home.