Hapoel call on injured captain for inspiration

HAPOEL BE’ER SHEVA will call upon injured captain Elyaniv Barda to offer the inspirational pre-match talk they hope will add to Celtic’s recent history of Champions League woe.

Barda, the reigning Israeli Player of the Year, is set to miss both legs of the group stage play-off with a groin problem sustained last week.

Coach Barak Bachar confirmed, however, that the skipper will be in the dressing room this evening as Hapoel aim to silence the Parkhead crowd.

Barda’s words have already helped Bachar’s side come from 2-0 down against Maccabi Haifa to win 4-2 in the Israeli Super Cup last week.

And the 34-year-old’s presence in Glasgow carries echoes of Malmo’s successful mission to oust Celtic last season. Then, captain Markus Rosenberg was suspended for the first leg at Parkhead but played a role in the team talk.

‘Barda will join us,’ said Bachar. ‘Even his presence in the dressing room is very important to us as a team.

‘We were behind by two goals in our last match, but he came into the dressing room at half-time and helped motivate the players. That shows his importance.’

Barda (right) is Hapoel’s only confirmed injury absence, with the coach remaining coy over the availability of former Leicester City centre-back Miguel Vitor.

Bachar insists his side are underdogs for the tie, but believes their victory over Olympiakos in the previous round has prepared them for what lies in store tonight.

‘We are not favourites,’ he added. ‘It would be a joke to say we are favourites. We know that both teams will try to do their best. But in front of this stadium and this team, it will be tough.

‘To play well and lose would not be good enough. If we score and lose it is also not good. I will tell you after the game what will be a good result. We are going to face a very tough match. ‘Celtic know that we beat Olympiakos, so they will arrive ready for the challenge. We also know that Celtic really want to get to Champions League, so we know how tough they will be.’ Bachar is sceptical about Celtic’s failures over the past two seasons — against Malmo and Maribor — adding any extra anxiety to a team now under the management of Brendan Rodgers. ‘I don’t think a club like Celtic feels pressure in these matches,’ he claimed. ‘We know about the games of Celtic in the last few years in this competition but we don’t think it adds any additional pressure to them. ‘We have pressure but it is a positive pressure. We want to show what we can do. ‘We are just thinking about our own team. We want to get a good result and try to progress when we get to our home stadium.’ Hapoel are expected to line up in a 5-4-1 formation, sitting deep to operate on the counter-attack. ‘Wait and see how we play tomorrow,’ said Bachar. ‘The fact we have played with three in central defence doesn’t mean we are defensive. ‘We want to attack because we know the importance of an away goal.’ Defender Shir Tzedek scored the solitary goal that secured progress against Olympiakos and he is relishing the opportunity at Celtic Park. ‘We have made it to a stage where nobody expected us to be and we are playing a team with huge history,’ he said. ‘This kind of stadium gives Celtic the advantage but we have to handle that. ‘We are not favourites but we trust the coach to give us the right information. ‘There are moments in your career that you realise are special and this is one of them. ‘Only four players in our team have played in the Champions League before — and we all want to feel that excitement.’