The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Belgians braced for a ‘devastating’ start
Anderlecht boss Hein Vanhaezebrouck is bracing himself for a “devastating” start by Celtic that could kill off any faint hopes of an unlikely Europa League place.
Brendan Rodgers’ men go into their final Champions League Group B fixture at Parkhead three points ahead of the Belgian side thanks to their 3-0 away win in matchday two in September.
Speaking before his side trained at Celtic Park, Vanhaezebrouck, who was not in charge when the sides met in September, outlined the problems his side could face in front of a packed stadium.
“It’s not important to score very quickly, not important at all,” he said.
“For us, the ultimate thing is to score three times more than Celtic. The timing of the first goal isn’t important at all. We can score half-way through the second half and still go for it.
“You can say we’re going to try to score in the first five minutes – and then you lose a goal in the first five minutes and it will be doubly hard.
“I can already predict what’s going to happen tomorrow. There will be noise as soon as we come on the pitch. The crowd will be behind them – and they will fly like hell.
“So we are going to have to be ready because the start will be possibly devastating.
“If we can survive and stay level, then maybe we have a chance to do something. But to overcome the threegoal difference to continue, everything has to be perfect and we also need all the luck in the world.
“So the chances are really, really small.”