Celtic seeking home help

Match background

After reaching the UEFA Champions League knockout stage for the first time, Celtic FC's hopes of progressing further appear to hang on securing a positive result in their first leg against AC Milan.

• The Scottish champions may have never won away in the UEFA Champions League but a record of nine wins in 12 home matches means they should not be short of confidence at Celtic Park, even against opponents with the European pedigree of six-time winners Milan.

• Celtic reached the UEFA Champions League's last 16 at the fourth attempt by finishing runners-up in Group F. They could even afford the luxury of losing their last group match on 6 December, 3-1 at FC København where Jiří Jarošík struck a late consolation.

• By then the job was already done, with Shunsuke Nakamura's free-kick earning the 1-0 win over Manchester United FC on Matchday 5 that took Celtic through. Their earlier fixtures brought home victories against København (1-0) and Benfica (3-0) and away losses to United (2-3) and Benfica (0-3).

• Milan also lost their final group match – 2-0 at home to LOSC Lille Métropole - having already tied up first place in Group H. Carlo Ancelotti's men had previously collected victories against AEK Athens FC (3-0) and RSC Anderlecht (1-0 away and 4-1 at home) while drawing at Lille (0-0) and losing at AEK (0-1). Kaká was their star performer, his five goals placing him joint-top of the tournament's scoring chart.

• Milan won the sides' first encounter in the 1968/69 European Champion Clubs' Cup quarter-finals. After a goalless draw at the San Siro, Piero Prati's 12-minute goal in Glasgow secured a 1-0 aggregate success and Milan went on to lift the trophy.

• Milan also saw off Celtic en route to the final in 2004/05. Late strikes from Filippo Inzaghi (89 minutes) and Andrea Pirlo (90+1) earned the Rossoneri a 3-1 home success in the group stage in September 2004. A subsequent goalless draw at Celtic on the final matchday consigned the hosts to fourth place in the section – with Milan top.

• Overall Milan have won six and drawn twice in ten games against Scottish sides, although their record in Scotland is mixed with two wins, one draw and two defeats.

• Celtic's most memorable encounters with Italian opponents have come against Milan's neighbours, FC Internazionale Milano. Jock Stein's team beat Inter 2-1 in the 1966/67 European Cup final but in 1971/72 they suffered semi-final heartache, losing 5-4 on penalties at Celtic Park following two 0-0 draws. Overall, though, Celtic's home record against Italian sides is strong with four wins, two draws and that one defeat by Milan in 1968/69.

• Celtic's Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink was in the PSV Eindhoven team beaten by Milan in the 2004/05 UEFA Champions League semi-finals. Milan's Gennaro Gattuso, meanwhile, played in five 'Old Firm' derbies for former club Rangers FC against Celtic in 1997/98 - winning three, drawing one and losing one.

uefa.com

A bit early but couldn't wait to open it.

Finally back to the CL

So, how is everybody feeling about this one? I've been browsing around on some Celtic forums and they seem to be very confident of going through ans some would even feel angry and disappointed if they don't win this one.

How is the general feeling of the milanistas on this one?

I think it will be really tough, but if we draw them at Celtic park we'll have a good chance of going through considering their away record is not so good

yeeah right.. keep dreaming lads!!

with Ronaldo on the bench.. this match should be a walk in the park.

i'm actually looking for a win here 1 - 2 my prediction

We wont conceed a goasl in this match. I believe we'll have a clean sheet in both legs

Underestimating them would be wrong.

That said, Hesselink is a very good striker and Nakamura was impressive in the other CL ties.

Arivan I don't think R9 could be on the bench, and I don't even think he will make the trip to Scotland.

Does anybody here watch Scottish football and could maybe give us some more info on how they play?

They are a very different team from the one we faced in 2004.

Ronaldo is cup tied

My feelings? We'll draw at Celtic Park 1-1, and finish the job at the San Siro.

Yes, I think that too. We'll draw in Glasgow (0-0 my prediction) and solve the problem in San Siro.

I hope it's not a 0-0... it's always tricky!

1-1 in Celtic Park then we will beat them 3-1 at the San Siro, the crowd in Glasgow will be awesome for the hoops and are like a 12th man but they won't be up to are class in italy and i predict a easy win over the 2 legs

Yeah, about that... Easy just called in sick until the end of the season...

it was a joke!

but have you watch celtic play!!! man they are awful like i said the game at celtic park will be difficult just because of the crowd but player for player they aren't even close to us and i hope our players are looking forward to the resumption of the C.L. campaign

Good one, but sadly true



Have you watched them play any league matches?

What are they like? Are they a fast paced playing team, do they like to keep the ball on the ground or just hoof it up the field?

Are they a physical side like Carlo has said?

They have changed a lot from he time we last met them, and that time they gave us a really hard time over both legs, have they gotten better since then?

I don't think the crowd will be much of an issue for our players, they played in worse conditions, that's where the experiance they have comes useful, they won't let a big crowd effect them.

We're not allowed to say easy this season.

I watched Celtic in the CL this season and they were good.

Celtic are good this season, while Milan is having one of it's worst .. I agree.

But I do believe that Milan are stronger than Celtic .. I mean this team is built for knock-out competitions .. In fact, it is so good in it, even the records speal loudly about it. I think Milan will progress, without conceeding a single goal.

I get what you're saying, just keep in mind that we're stronger than Palermo then again we're at 7th place not 3rd.

Hmm...we definetely got the easiest opponent considering we already played Lille in the group stage.... I guess we can do this one. With Ricky being back at his best (I hope) and a Superpippo it can be done....without our key players in form I think it'll be very hard match, so...it'll be a very hard match
Still....we have to reach the quarterfinals again, so that we can (if the beat Real) kick out Bayern once again!

I have that in mind .. I wrote it in my post



Still, the team as a whole is built for competitions like the CL .. Hopefully Milan will play this match with 110% and get threw; something I am willing to bet on

It won't be easy but I'm sure about us going through

CLASH OF THE TITANS

Chief Scout, Tom O'Neill explains that, while AC Milan remain a top European side, Celtic's own performances in the Champions League will serve as a warning to the Italian side of the difficult task they face, particularly when they visit Glasgow.


The Serie A table has an unfamiliar look to it this season. For one thing, the name of Juventus is missing completely, while less familiar sides such as Palermo sit in third place, Empoli are fourth and Catania are sixth.

And the famous Rossonerri - AC Milan - are currently seventh, a full 30 points behind league leaders and city rivals Inter, the result of indifferent form over and above an eight-point penalty imposed at the start of the season .

Yet, as Celtic Chief Scout Tom O'Neill explained to The Celtic View, anyone who tries to claim that AC Milan are not the force they once were or that this is a 'good' time for Celtic to be facing them in the Champions League doesn't have a clue about football.

"What happened to them at the end of last season meant they were never ever going to be contenders in the league this season," O'Neill said, "but you just have to look at their players - they're all good players.

"If Cafu is not getting a game at right-back just now, then it tells you they're not a bad side.

"There are about half-a-dozen teams who set out and their prime objective is to win the Champions League - and Milan are focused on that. The league was gone as soon as they were deducted the points."

Celtic's reward for reaching the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League for the first time was a mouth-watering tie against the Italian giants who won the competition in 2003, were runners-up in 2005, and semi-finalists last season.

That record, if nothing else, quickly establishes the quality and pedigree of Milan, Tom O'Neill also pointed out that Celtic's own performances in recent years, particularly at Celtic Park, will serve as a warning to the Italians that the tie will be a tough one.

"There is no harder or tougher opposition in a two-legged tie than an Italian team," he said. "They've been over the course so many times. It was always going to be a difficult tie. They're experts in this type of football so we know what to expect.

"For the players who are still in the Milan team from when we faced them in 2004, they'll know what to expect at Celtic Park but it still blows you away.

"They're seasoned pros but it was great to hear Paolo Maldini say at the time that it was the best atmosphere he had experienced, so if that happens to a player of his experience then it will definitely rattle one or two of the younger ones.

"Maldini is outstanding. He still is the player - the talisman. He's still a great athlete at 39.

"But we've got our own talisman - Neil Lennon - playing in the team and you can't beat the value of the experience he brings to our team, so those players are crucial in the dressing room and also crucial to the manager and their team-mates. That's what we've got with Lenny.

"We respect them, we know exactly what they're going to be like, they're a fantastic club and a fantastic team. Anyone who tells you differently doesn't have a clue about football.

"But we're not a bad European side either, especially at Celtic Park. Two-legged affairs have been quite kind to us over the last few years as well."

Not surprisingly, Celtic have watched Milan closely since the draw for the last 16 was made. Tom O'Neill has already seen them play, someone fom Celtic was at their 2-1 weekend victory over Livorno in the San Siro, and O'Neill will be back in Italy this weekend when Ancelotti's side travel to face Siena.

And while it is important ahead of the first leg at Celtic Park on February 20 to gather in as much information as possible about Milan, O'Neill also acknowledged the advantage of playing such a high-profile opponent.

"They have a set pattern which has been handed down through the years," Celtic's Chief Scout explained. "The good thing is we've seen them quite a lot over the past couple of years because we played them fairly recently and they still have a lot of that team now.

"They have a fairly rigid formation with the flexibility coming from midfield to front, and that's where the class tells as well.

"They tend to go with a sort of 4-3-2-1 but that '2-1' up front can slightly change. The flexibility comes from players round about Pirlo. Their back four and Pirlo are always stationery and the rest can all float about.

"They also normally play with only one up front," he continued. "The game I saw them, they started with Gilardino on his own. Inzaghi only came on because of an injury after 30 minutes so they had to slightly change it and go with two up.

"I think they're more of a threat when Inzaghi plays. For all that he can run offside ten times he knows that he's going to get in once.

"There's no doubt they will be desperate to score an away goal. That will be in their game plan. They won't play for a 0-0 at Celtic Park. If you can nick a goal it's worth its weight in gold.

"They're very experienced int his type of situation. That's the key for them - but we've done okay ourselves in two-legged games.

"They will know that over two games we would have beaten Manchester United on aggregate - that says it all for them. These people know their football.

"They also know how good a side Benfica are and they were blown away at Celtic Park in what was an absolutely unbelievable performance. So they know the pedigree of the teams we've already played.

"They will have done their homework and they will respect us. That's the one thing about AC Milan, they will give us total respect.

"That's the great thing about what the Celtic teams have done over the years - the 1-0 win over Manchester United this season, for example. Those kind of result reverberate throughout Europe."

Like every Celtic supporter, Tom O'Neill is looking forward to the tie, and the Chief Scout believes the importance of Celtic Park as a venue with the supporters creating such a special atmosphere, shouldn't be underestimated.

"There's no doubt because of Milan's pedigree - World Cup winners, Champions League winners, in their side - they will be favourites," he said.

"But whether they are or not, they have to handle that and we'll do what we do best when we welcome teams to Celtic Park. They'll certainly know it'll be a game and a half.

"The Celtic fans will play their part, it will be a fantastic night, and we'll be right in there with a chance".

Chief Scout, Tom O'Neill .. Has a good idea of Milan's weaknesses .. SInce he has been to at least our last two league games; with STorari in goal, I think he knows our weakness.

I believed that Dida would be fit for this tie, but he wont and with that in mind we will conceed at least 2 goals. I mean if Siena could do it, why cant Celtic, who had given Dida a hard time two seasons ago.

It wil be rather difficult in Scotland, as Milan will be without Nesta, Dida, R9, Sergio .. Still, I'm hoping that this team can make a worthy performance and beat Celtic.

My line up ..

..............Kalac..

......Bonera/Kala.....Maldini..

..Oddo.............................Janku..

.......Gattuso.....Pirlo.......Seedorf..

............Kaka

........Gilardino.........Inzaghi

Not going to comment on how hard the game is, because we are aware of that...


lineup: Without R9


.......................?????..............................

Oddo......Bonera/Kala.....Maldini......Janku

.......Gattuso.....Gourcuff.......Pirlo............

.........................Kaka............................

..............Gila (Oli).........Inzaghi(R9? )..............

Kalac for Storari... yeah right.

if our form is any indacation we will conceed. we've done ti all season. we score then our opponent ties it right up. we get too confident easily and have trouble holding leads. i think we should go all out and try and get some away goals.

with Maldini we won't concede on normal flow... maybe if only Nakamura pulls some miracle again...

crap!

I posted that b4 Dida got injured ... WIthout Dida we will conceed.

Then Kaka should play up front with Gourcuff behind him!

--------Gourcuff---------

-----Oli--------Kaka-----

We can't play with one up front again and I don't think anyone really counts on Willy for such a game...

This means it's time for the xmas tree with Oli finally being the one alone in attack

Gourcuff should be next to Kaka with Seedorf in the midfield next to Rino and Pirlo

What about Gila, I'm 100% he'll play! Here's my line-up:

Storari
Oddo-Bonera-Don Paolo-Janku
Gattuso-Pirlo-Brocchi
Kakà-Seedorf
Gila

^^^

I like ur formation .. Except Kalac for Storari and Oli for Gila .. Carlo said he wont recover in time for this match.

2-1 to Celtic. But I think Seedorf/Oli/Oddo knocks in the crucial away goal.

Celtic plan will be simple, get physical with Kaka and shut him down. Pressure Pirlo and Seedorf into mistakes, and also pepper in a lot of long range layoff shots, keep Maldini ineffective, and the midfield pegged back.

This might seem a bit outta the blue here, but I'm going out on a limb and saying our hopes in this match rest on Oddo and Oli. I woulda said Pirlo, but this season, I'll consider 90 minutes without a goof up as a good match from Andy P.

Oli and Oddo are their unseen quantities. If Oli get into Real Betis gear, and Oddo can push forward well enough, I'm thinking we'll squeeze in a goal.

For me, the formation Carletto will play will be something like

GK: Storari. (Kalac and Dida out. Storari has already had his bad game for the week, so I'm confident about this one, of course we'll still concede, but it won't be all his fault)

DF: Oddo, Bonera, Maldini, Janku

MF: Brocchi, Pirlo, Rino, Ricky, Seedorf

FW: Oli

Yoann coming in for Andy, Possibly Brocchi playing as a RM, like he used to in the old days, in a desperate bid to give us width if the sh!t truly does hit the fan.

Celtic haven't got Petrov, thank heaven for Martin O Neill. Brocchi should take care of Nakamura, without the getting red carded bit. Janku should stay back defending in the first half while Oddo marauds, and vice versa in the second half. At no point in the game should we be left with 2 defenders only at the goal. Esp, not at Celtic Park. Rino should stay behind Pirlo AT ALL TIMES. So if Andy loses the ball, Nakamura isn't looking at a shocked Bonera's face.

Will be interesting to see if Grimi gets a look in, but I think we should play it really safe the first leg. I'll welcome a 1-1 draw. But we can't afford to lose by a margin of more than 1 goal.

Celtic might play a 4-3-3 I'd guess. Could work to our advantage. They need to win, we know that. We can get off with a draw, but they can't be sure we won't force for a win.

All depends on how well Carletto plays his chess game.

Great post Jack

But Celtic will most likely play a 4-4-1-1, Nakamura on the right side and cuts in to the middle.

I'm thinkink that our formation will most likely be the xmas tree, something like this

Oddo--Bonera--Maldini--Janku
-Rino--Pirlo--Brocchi/Yoann-
--------Kaka--Seedorf-------
-----------Oli--------------

R7 why would you want Kalac? Storari is better and the goals scored against us in yesterday's game where not his fault, all 3 goals he came up face to face with a Siena player that was all alone. I can't understand how you expected him to save those.

if Oli have more self confidence , something like he show parts of it in siena game , he will be definitly enough and very Dangerous

those Players that i think can be more decisive are : kaka , Gourcuff , Bonera

Great post ..

But I also agree w/ han about the Nakamura thing .. mmm ... In a kockout round, I think Milan have the advantage, given that we play at the San Siro for the 2nd leg; but plaing at Celtic park w/ Storari, we'll get rapped. lossing by 1-2 wont be bad .. I hope for a tie though.


@han .. I think I just posted this all over the forum ... Storari isn't exactly a dependable gkeeper. He never was, even as a first team player for Messina .. He rarell kept a clean sheet. Against Celtic ? I doubt he'll keep one. But Kalac, I consider better, cuz he has at least played several games for Milan and the fact that he kept a clean sheet against Bayern helps me breath.

In the end both Kalac and Storari arent first team quality, nor Milan quality. So I wont feel comfortable with either in goal.

they have qualities and one of them is nakamura but they will not act physical , i think they have different plans


most important factor for them is our weaknesses that they talked about it ,
first we must back and work on our weak points , this is more important than any other elements , we have almost every other factor to beat them there in celtic park and here in san siro

He rarely kept a clean sheet with Messina because of the terrible defence he had infront of him. Last nights goals shouldn't justify the way that people are suddenly coming down on him after all the praise he got last weekend.

I know he is capable of a couple of blunders now and then, but Kalac does one at least in every match, the only good one he had was againstUdinese other then that he always screwed up. Against Bayern it was the last 15 minutes or so that he played and our defence kept it tight enough that he didn't even have to make a save.

Storari is good enough for our bench, I am more comfortable with him playing rather then Kalac, . Yesterday's goals was all our defence's fault, all 3 times they left the Siena strikers open and able to shoot from point blank range he couldn't do anything about either one of them

It is pointless for me to argue ... I guess u'll have to wait for Tuesday

p.s. Kalac in goal for 15 mins against Bayern in the Allenz arena, isn't as easy as u think .. Even with 8 defenders covering his ground.

winning CL games @ Celtic Park are something big...
So it's either 1-0 to Celtic
or 0-0

ÄÄI hope that we trash them in San Siro, but welll
*looks at the defense*

Inzaghi misses Celtic match

Milan are facing an injury crisis for their trip to Celtic, as Pippo Inzaghi and Nelson Dida are out of action, while Alberto Gilardino may not be fit to play.

Carlo Ancelotti had warned yesterday evening that he did not believe the two Italian strikers would recover in time for Tuesday’s Champions League encounter.

He released the squad details this morning and, as expected, Inzaghi has not made the journey to Glasgow.

Although Gilardino is included in the 21-man group, there are major doubts over whether he can take part due to a knee injury.

Ronaldo is Cup-tied after playing in the tournament with Real Madrid this season and Marco Borriello is suspended for failing a random drugs test.

This means Ancelotti has only one fully fit striker at his disposal – Ricardo Oliveira – while he has brought along youth team player Davide Di Gennaro, who is yet to make an official appearance for the club in any competition.

It’s expected Ricardo Oliveira will start upfront supported by Kaka in a more advanced role, bulking up the midfield. The former Betis forward is yet to score in five Champions League appearances.

Goalkeeper Dida has also remained in Milan, though Clarence Seedorf returns after skipping Saturday’s 4-3 win at Siena with a muscular problem.

In defence, Massimo Oddo is expected to make his European debut for the Rossoneri after joining from Lazio in January.

German referee Wolfgang Stark has been assigned to the Champions League game at Celtic Park.

Milan squad: Storari, Kalac, Fiori; Cafu, Kaladze, Maldini, Costacurta, Simic, Jankulovski, Bonera, Oddo; Ambrosini, Brocchi, Gattuso, Gourcuff, Kakà, Pirlo, Seedorf; Gilardino, Ricardo Oliveira, Di Gennaro.

Football Italia

DP

TP My pc is crazy

Haha, so we're tied for the record of triple post

Let's see who can match that or even beat that

Is that a challenge

Guys when the screen loads for some time it may not forward you to the post but it has already been sent... you can check it out yourself next time!

Bring it on



I know, but my problem was my pc was going crazy and every time the page was about to load the spyware doctor page came up. I just pressed back to save time and posted it again.

Didn't realise it had already been posted