I NEED A WIN LIKE LENNON
UNDER-PRESSURE Vaclav Kotal insists Sparta will take nothing for granted against Celtic - even after their 4-1 demolition job in Glasgow.
The Prague boss believes nothing less than three points will do as both sides look to keep slim hopes alive of reaching the Europa League last 32.
The Czechs are second in their domestic league behind fierce rivals Slavia and Kotal is feeling the strain after losing their two domestic matches since that victory at Parkhead.
Neil Lennon, similarly under fire from a section of the Celtic support, knows victory is essential if the Hoops’ Euro campaign is not to shudder to a halt.
Kotal said: “I don’t think Celtic were holding back when they were playing at home so I expect they won’t hold back this time.
“We are in a similar situation. We also need three points if we want to advance to the next round.
“Celtic have a lot of good players, great quality and are very experienced.
“They play with the same starting side most weeks so I expect it will be a difficult match.
“We need to work on our defence, especially, if we want to be successful.
“We need to see what Celtic come up with, if they play with three or four defenders.
“I know they will want to attack but the most important thing for my players is they need to be responsible and need to put in a lot of teamwork.
“Celtic are still a great team even though they might not be happy right now. They have great resolve.”
Kotal, 68, a former player for Sparta, was appointed manager in February, having been in charge of the club’s B team.
But since beating Celtic three weeks ago, the Czechs have lost 3-1 away at Viktoria Plzen and 4-2 at home to Ceske Budejovice in the league, slipping four points off leaders Slavia.
Hat-trick hero Lukas Julis, whose treble helped crush Celtic three weeks ago, is hoping to return to form against the Hoops.
He added: “The last match was good for me but in the last two matches I haven’t been very good so I hope I can repeat my performance from the Celtic match.
“We are looking forward to a good match. We hope that we can win again.”