GRIFFITHS SAYS BHOYS ARE READY TO GO FOR THE JUGULAR
Griffiths is sure Celts can break down AEK
NO ONE who witnessed AEK Athens’ impressive ten-man rearguard action in Glasgow could possibly question their credentials as a defensive unit.
Forced to hold what they had for 33 minutes after Konstantinos Galanopoulos was sent off, the Greeks’ miserly approach on their 18-yard line was a study in doggedness and discipline.
Asked if his side would try to repeat the trick for 90 minutes tonight, thus assuring them of qualification for the play-off round, boss Marinos Ouzounidis dismissed the suggestion out of hand.
Leigh Griffiths isn’t quite so sure. If the deadlock remains unbroken as the game enters its final straight, he believes AEK — almost inevitably — will view not conceding as more important that scoring. As much as that scenario will wreak havoc with the nerves of 800 travelling fans, Griffiths feels it could play right into the hands of Brendan Rodgers’ players.
‘It would be dangerous for them to sit in,’ said the striker. ‘We’ve got the firepower, not just in the starting 11 but also from the bench to come on and make an impact.
‘The gaffer has always stressed the starting 11 is not the most important. It’s the team that finishes the game.
‘If they were to sit in and it’s still 0-0 at 60 or 70 minutes, then we’re only one goal away from going through.’
If AEK need any reminder of the threat posed by Celtic, it is Griffiths’ own record in these fraught qualifiers.
He’s scored against Stjarnan, Lincoln Red Imps, Astana, Hapoel Be’er Sheva and Malmo. Not bad for a guy perceived as the third-choice striker.
‘I’ve been given the nod the last couple of seasons to go and get the goals to put us through,’ he reflected.
‘It’s unfortunate this season I’ve started the campaign injured. But I’m fully fit now and if the manager calls upon me, I’ll be raring to go.
‘In his first season, I got the nod ahead of Moussa (Dembele), and then the second season I got the nod again. I’m flying and ready to go and let’s see if I get the nod again here.
‘The manager, the players and the fans know what I can do.
‘We’ve three great strikers all vying for that one place, but whoever starts we’ve got firepower to come off the bench and help us get the right result.’
The smart money is on Dembele starting on the bench with Griffiths possibly paired with Odsonne Edouard. But the goal Celtic require to stand any chance of progressing need not come from any of their most dependable sources. ‘It’s not just the front three, we’ve got Cal (McGregor), Tom (Rogic) and James (Forrest) all boys that can score,’ said Griffiths. ‘It’s vitally important we get a goal or we’re out. We’re more than confident of getting it. ‘They were a dangerous side, especially on the counter-attack, and the second leg will be the same. ‘They’ll want to kill the tie off, but it’s up to us to stem their attack and, when we go forward, we have to be looking to score goals. We’re more than capable of doing that.’ Provided Athens don’t breach
Craig Gordon’s net, a goal at any point in the night will do. ‘We need to score regardless,’ said Griffiths. ‘It’s going to be a hostile atmosphere, but we’ve coped in those sorts of atmospheres before and we know how important the job at hand is.’
Putting it kindly, Celtic’s experiences on the road in recent times have been a mixed bag.
For all they were immense in Brussels against Anderlecht last season, they’ve been abject in Paris, Munich and Barcelona.
‘It stands us in good stead, although it doesn’t help we’ve been absolutely hammered in some of those big arenas,’ added Griffiths.
‘But we’ve gained experience from that, and when we go away from home then get teams back at Celtic Park it’s a different ball game.
‘The Paris Saint-Germain game aside, we ran Bayern Munich really close and drew with Manchester City twice, so we need all that experience and we need the boys who have played in those sorts of games to step up.’
Around 30,000 fans are expected tonight in an arena that holds close to 70,000. Even with much of the top tier closed, it still promises to be a raucous atmosphere.
‘That won’t faze me, especially with the abuse I get at Ibrox and Tynecastle,’ said Griffiths.
‘It spurs me on to try and silence them as quickly as we can, and that’s by doing what I do best, scoring goals.’
After the negativity that’s gripped the club over the past week, the need to change the narrative is obvious.
‘We want to be on the back pages for the right reasons,’ said Griffiths. ‘We see the stuff that’s being spoken about. If you ask the manager, we are all united. We’re focusing on that same goal.’