Champions League KO will make us fearless
FRAN ALONSO says his Celtic side will fear no one in Scotland after learning from their Champions League KO.
The Parkhead side lost 2-1 to La Liga side Levante on Wednesday and now face Minsk today in the third-placed play-off at their first round tourney.
Boss Alonso vowed to learn from taking on the Spanish aces.
He said: “It will make us stronger. And it means that it doesn’t matter if we are underdogs now in a domestic game we won’t fear anyone because Levante are the best team we have played.
“If we can compete against them then we can compete against anyone.”
Alonso hailed the heart of his side as they came from 2-0 down to push Levante late on.
He added: “You can’t teach fight and heart. You have it or you don’t and you can see that we do.
“When we lost the second goal I could see they were heartbroken but they kept on going.
“The biggest compliment Levante could have given us was that their players were asking the ref when the whistle was coming.
“The huddle after the game was a goosebumps moment. We’ve never been more together as a team.”
He wants to bow out with a win over Minsk and added: “For us it is like a World Cup final, that is how important it is for us.
“We have had a taste of it and now we want to be back here next year.”
Glasgow City face BIIK Kazygurt in their round one final as they look to progress to the second stage of the tournament, as the Scottish champs eye the lucrative 16-team group stages.