Baseggio: Paradise is torture for visitors
AN ANDERLECHT legend has warned his former team that playing at Parkhead in the Champions League is like being tortured.
The Belgian champions need to win by three goals tonight to eliminate Celtic from playing European football next year.
On their previous visit to Glasgow, they were blown away by an early onslaught by Martin O’Neill’s side in a 3-1 defeat in 2003.
Goals from Henrik Larsson, Liam Miller and Chris Sutton meant the outcome was never in doubt and Anderlecht hero Walter Baseggio, who won five titles with the Brussels club, has warned the current side what they can expect.
He recalled: “It was a torture job. Celtic absolutely crushed us.
“For the first 20 minutes we were walking about not knowing where we were.
“We knew they couldn’t keep up that kind of pressure for the entire match, but it was enough to win the game very early on.
“It was so bad, we knew we were beat in the warm-up.
“Even at that point, it was very noisy and we were all asking ourselves, ‘what’s this all about?’
“Of course, we didn’t expect an easy game, but we didn’t think it would be that bad.
“With every touch, the Celtic fans cheered them, every tackle was met with a huge roar.
“The more the game went on, the louder it seemed to get.”
But the 47-times capped Belgium star insists Anderlecht are not without hope.
He pointed out: “Celtic are in a better position than they were in 2003, so they won’t have to go for it from the start.
“There is always a chance in football and it is just a case of taking your attacking opportunities.”