WATER DRAW!

Blues delighted with possible Celts tie but striker Andy sounds note of caution

ANDY WATERWORTH has warned Linfield to beware a Euro minnow as they bid to land a whopper tie against Scottish champions Celtic. The Blues will face the Glasgow giants in a money spinning Champions League showdown next month if they can overcome unfancied La Fiorita in the first qualifying round. David Healy’s men, who host the San Marino champions on July 28 before travelling to Montegiardino on July 5, are firm favourites to progress to the next stage. But striker Waterworth insists the South Belfast club can’t take anything for granted in their quest to tee up a first ever meeting with Brendan Rodgers’ Hoops He said: “It’s hard not to be intrigued and excited about the possibility of playing Celtic, but we also realise the La Fiorita tie is a banana skin. “Playing Celtic, if it happens, is something we’d really look forward to and relish. Having them here would be amazing and who wouldn’t want to play at Parkhead? “We couldn’t have asked for a better draw, to be honest, but first and foremost we know the first qualifying round isn’t going to be easy. “If you go into the game against La Fiorita with the wrong mentality, you could end up with egg on your face before getting anywhere near Celtic.” Celtic, who won the SPFL title at a canter last season, beat Irish League club Cliftonville 5-0 on aggregate in the Champions League four years ago. And if Linfield overcome La Fiorita, Waterworth plans to bend the ear of Reds winger Stephen Garrett who is also a workmate at the Irish FA. He said: “I haven’t had a chance to have a chat with Stevie yet, but I’m sure I’ll get his opinion on it. “We all wanted the potential of drawing a big club in the second qualifying and they don’t come much bigger than Celtic. It would be a great showcase for the Irish League.” While most Linfield fans have one eye on a potential date with Celtic, Waterworth knows Healy’s men still have work to do. The seasoned forward said: “I remember people telling us we should comfortably beat Faroe Islands opposition a few years back, but they were difficult ties. “Teams at this stage of the competition are always dogged, determined and physical, so I expect La Fiorita to be something similar. “One of the things we wanted from the first qualifying round was somewhere that wasn’t too hard to get to and we have got that.”

It’s hard not to be intrigued at the possibility of playing Celtic but La Fiorita is a banana skin

CAGEY Blues’ Andy Waterworth says it’s one game at a time for them