HINTS FROM RONNY ARE ALL WRONG
KARE INGEBRIGTSEN won’t rely on Ronny Deila’s advice to crack Celtic – because he reckons the ex-Hoops boss could have given him a bum steer.
The Rosenborg manager spoke to his fellow Norwegian gaffer ahead of tonight’s Champions League clash at Celtic Park.
But he admitted there was no chance of Deila turning double agent against his former club.
Ingebrigtsen said: “I spoke to Ronny but he didn’t give me much. He is more of a fan of Celtic than of Rosenborg so I don’t trust what he said to me!
“He told me more about what we can expect at Celtic Park. The rest of it, he just told me to do my job.”
Ingebrigtsen knows his men are underdogs but is determined to defy the odds.
He said: “Celtic are favourites and the pressure is on them. It will be hard for them if they are not assured of European football.
“Everyone in Scotland thinks they should beat us easily. We know to come here is really difficult.
“We need to defend well, keep the ball but also attack. An away goal is important. We are here to score.”
The Rosenborg boss has done his homework on the Hoops and is happy to see both Moussa Dembele and Leigh Griffiths miss out.
Ingebrigtsen said: “They are great players but I looked at Celtic’s squad and they have 40 or 50 players.
“These two names scored over 20 goals each last season and they will miss them if they don’t play. Hopefully they don’t play.
“It’s good for us the season hasn’t started in Scotland yet. We have played 17 games and history shows for Rosenborg that it is an advantage to be halfway through the season.
“All the opponents we meet tend to struggle because it’s early in the season for them.”
Skipper Mike Jensen admitted the Norse men need to be brave to handle the heat at Parkhead.
He said: “Courage is the key word for us. They will come out with a lot of energy and we need to handle that early pressure.
“We can’t compete with Celtic individually all over the pitch, it’s about the team. We will have chances and I hope we have the courage to take them.
“We will have a go. It’s not in our style to sit back.” SCOTT SINCLAIR to bag the opening goal tonight and Celtic to beat Rosenborg 1-0 could be a popular punt at 30-1. victory would be perfect and it’s 13-2 at William Hill, who also price a 1-0 win at 13-2.
Scott Sinclair scored first in both legs against Linfield and is 9-2 with McBookie to break the deadlock again.
Others who provide value are makeshift striker Tom Rogic and Stuart Armstrong at 15-2 and 8-1 with McBookie respectively.
Ex-Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner is Rosenborg’s best-known player and is 10-1 at Betfred to score first and 7-2 to net at any time.
Rosenborg are 9-4 with bet365 to qualify and 7-1 at McBookie to win in Glasgow.
In other matches Salzburg should beat Rijeka at home and take Maribor to beat Hafnarfjordur. Add Celtic for a treble.
SUPER SINGLE Celtic -1 (5-4, William Hill)
TOP TREBLE Celtic, Salzburg, Maribor
(9-4, Marathonbet) CELTIC captain Scott Brown holds the record number of European appearances for a Scottish player.
Real Madrid and the Bernabeu is one key piece missing from the midfielder’s shiny 83-match CV but he has savoured most of the game’s great arenas, such as the Nou Camp, San Siro and Old Trafford.
He has faced the elite and even claims that chasing Barcelona megastar Andres Iniesta around was a pleasure.
Yet out of all the 78 outings for Celtic and five for Hibs, it’s one of the key qualifying games he played in which really stands out.
It’s not a glamour group-stage game but the type of gut-churning hurdle Celtic face tonight against Norwegian champions Rosenborg which sparks the fondest memory.
It was a decade ago, Spartak Moscow at Parkhead. Nerves shredded through 120 minutes before a penalty shoot-out clinched a place among the elite for Gordon Strachan’s team.
Brown was enjoying it for the first time. As he launched himself on to the pile of players on top of keeper Artur Boruc, the iconic image of Hoops coach and legend Tommy Burns hurling himself through the night air into the pandemonium just added to the delirium.
The Celtic captain said: “That night showed how much it means to reach the groups. It means a lot for Celtic, from the money point of view and to play on that stage, to hear that music before kick-off.
“Tommy jumping on us after we beat Spartak Moscow stands out for me. That was great. Daft Tam piling on top of us all. It’s a great honour but that’s why I came to Celtic, to play against the best players in the world.
“They were different times back then. We have to play six qualifiers now just to get into the Champions League.
“My European debut was for Hibs. We only got in through the Fair Play place, fair play with me in the team! What are the chances?
“My first Champions League group game for Celtic was against Shakhtar Donetsk. The gaffer was