CELTIC are in big trouble and heading for Champions League elimination, according to two AEK Athens stars.
The Greeks managed a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their third round qualifier at Parkhead last night – and now believe the Brendan Rodgers’ men have no chance.
Striker Marko Livaja and skipper Andres Simoes reckon the hard work has been done in Glasgow and they will not falter at the Olympic stadium in front of their fanatical support.
Croatian international attacker Livaja said: “In my opinion, Celtic are in trouble now.
“In Athens, we are playing in front of our incredible supporters and it will also be extremely hot for the Scots.
“Last night, to get a draw at a stadium like this is a fantastic result.
“When we went down to 10 men, we had to fight for our lives. We didn’t threaten after that, which is understandable.
“But the away goal firmly gives us the advantage.”
ON THE RUN…Kieran Tierney forces on the play against AEK.
Portuguese midfielder Simoes added: “We knew it would be a difficult night – it was away to Celtic, so, of course, it would be hard.
“Our ambition was always to score an away goal and we managed that.
“We have to take advantage of that in the second leg and I strongly believe we will qualify now.
“It was difficult enough when it was 11 v 11, so having a man sent off made it especially tough for us.
“Obviously, we had to defend more and drop deeper. But we were never worried and I think we coped really well.
“We did our job well and now we want to finish it in Athens.”
