Being able to hear a pin drop in Paradise may be to the players’ advantage

Ferencvaros could find Celtic more of a handful behind closed doors on Tuesday night – simply because the Hoops players can hear themselves shout!

That is the view of Neil Lennon, who has already watched the Hoops run out 6-0 winners against KR Reykjavik in an empty stadium.

“I think the fact there’s no fans means the players can communicate better on the pitch,” said the Hoops boss, as he looked ahead to the Champions League qualifier.

“That’s something they’ve found has worked, and it’s been slightly beneficial for them.

“If we’re going to make the best of a bad situation without the supporters, then I think that’s one area which will be key throughout the game.” Not that the Irishman would be about to underestimate the impact the famously-raucous atmosphere created at Celtic Park on European nights can have on opposition teams.

“You might be more in control of your emotions, but having a full house is a massive advantage to us,” said Lennon.

“It is a big miss for us not having a capacity crowd there. There is no question about that.

“This is far from an easy tie, one which we are under no illusions is going to be very difficult to negotiate. “Ferencvaros were impressive away from home in the Europa

League last season, and had a pretty comfortable home win against Djurgardens, the Swedish champions.

“They’re packed with athletic-type players – solid, no-fuss, well-drilled. So they’ll be a tough nut to crack.”

The tie throws up a couple of old connections for the Celtic boss.

“I played against (their manager) Sergei Rebrov at club and international level,” he said. “He was a fabulous player and, in particular, he formed a great partnership with Andriy Shevchenko.

“They also have Adam Bogdan, a player I’ve worked with a couple of times. I’ve got a lot of time for him. “He did a job for me at Bolton, and he got a great move to Liverpool. “Then injuries just curtailed his career slightly, and he came back to Hibs when I was there and did a brilliant job for me again.

“I only found out he was there last week.

“I’ll not be able to tap into him I’m afraid as he won’t give much away. But it’ll be good to see him again.”

Not that socialising will be the main focus of the week for Lennon.

He said: “It’s really important every season to qualify for the group stage of the Champions League to help develop the players and give gravitas to the club. “Of course, financially obviously fantastic too.

“But from a playing point of view and manager’s standpoint, it would be great to be back in there after a couple of seasons out.”

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