FEAR NOT A FACTOR FOR HOOPS SAYS FRENCH DEFENDER CHRIS
CHRISTOPHER JULLIEN insists fired-up Celtic fear no one in the Europa League.
The French defender and his colleagues go into tonight’s second-leg crunch against FC Copenhagen desperate to earn a spot in Friday’s last 16 draw.
Jullien admits he’s keen to reign back on earlier bold statements about going all the way in the tournament.
But the defender does not back down on a belief that his troops aren’t scared of anyone as they chase progress deeper into the competition.
Jullien said: “I don’t think any of my team-mates are afraid of anyone. We know our qualities and we trust each other. We have a stadium like a 12th man and we have everything with us, but football is football.
“You can have all the strength we have but it’s on the field and if you do not have the respect for the game, or miss chances, or defend badly at the wrong time, you can get beat. We have to be focused.
“Firstly, we focus on the game on Thursday. But if we get through, we know that Celtic Park is something else, that’s for sure.
“We know we have to respect the game. If you don’t you will get beaten, but Celtic Park can make people fear us and that’s great.
“It’s been unbelievable since the beginning of the season. I just can’t wait for the Copenhagen game.”
Jullien admits he got ahead of himself during the group-stage phase when he spoke about Celtic winning the Europa League.
The stopper didn’t get into trouble with his bosses for speaking out, but smiled: “No, not at all. I just looked at it myself and thought, Hmmm, that was maybe too cocky.
“I probably should not say that because football can go fast. A game can be so random sometimes, a penalty or something.
“When you have confidence, you think you are the best in the world. In the locker room, I
Celtic (1) v Copenhagen (1)
thought that. But when you are going through the competition and seeing all the good teams, you make it game by game focus and see how you perform.
“I just think now to focus game after game. Work hard and see what happens.
“After the game, if we can get through with a good performance, we’d be confident for the next opponent.”
Jullien needed a dentist after after being smashed in the face by Copenhagen powerhouse Dame N’doye last week.
He was bloodied but he was not bowed. The Frenchman recovered from the facial bashing to stand tall for the remainder of the contest and, having been to see to his dentist since, he’s ready to bite the Danes as Celtic look to move into the last 16 of the tournament.
He said: “I remember that incident. And so does my dentist. It was a bad one, but when I take the field I always want to give it everything I’ve got and I had no intention of leaving my partner or the rest of my team-mates.
“I lost some parts of my teeth, but it’s OK. My dentist is good and it’s important to let other teams know that we won’t be bullied.”
In the early stages of his Hoops career, fingers were pointed at when he lost his discipline at Livingston when ragdolled by Lyndon Dykes during a 2-0 defeat in West Lothian.
Jullien, though, vowed he’d learn and toughen up from that lesson in West Lothian and has done just that to become a talisman for his manager.
He admitted: “In Scotland, the game is more physical and there is always going to be an element of going to battle. I’m ready for that now.”