3 DAYS TO GO
two strong teams playing a good match. Along with Red Star it was our toughest match because of the strength of our opponent.
“We’ve got through the training camps without any injuries and it has been excellent preparation for us before Celtic.
“Now we can concentrate fully on getting ready to fly to Glasgow on Wednesday.”
The man who got Maribor’s goal is a previous scourge of Scottish teams in Europe – Maribor striker Marcos Tavares.
The experienced Brazilian frontman has been involved in defeats of Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen in Hibs in recent years.
In fact Tavares bagged the winning goal at Celtic Park in a Champions League qualifier against the Hoops four years ago.
He knows how good Zenit can be but offered hope to Rodgers and Co they’ll get chances against the Russians on Thursday night. He says if they can convert those opportunities – with the home crowd’s backing – they can get the victory they need.
Tavares said: “Zenit have really good midfield players and are fantastic on the counter-attack. That’s what Celtic have to watch out for.
“In our game their three goals came from counter-attacks. And they’re so precise with their finishing so of course it will be tough for Celtic.
“But Celtic have excellent players too and I know it’s hard against the Scottish clubs, especially in Glasgow.
“Celtic must use the atmosphere at home as a big advantage on Thursday. They need to score when they get chances.
“That’s what we didn’t do against Zenit at the weekend. We had many chances but didn’t take them. Against a team of this quality that makes the difference.
“Celtic have to hope their strikers have a good day. If they can score when they get a chance they can get a positive result. If they don’t they might be caught on the counter-attack.
“If Zenit have a weakness it’s down the sides of their defence. That’s where we got our chances. We played offensively against them in the second half and should have scored more.
“If Celtic can do that – and take them – they can win.
“I always enjoyed coming to Scotland with Maribor and I managed to win a lot there.
“But it’s not easy, Maribor had to play very well in these matches.”