Sviatchenko warns of the physical threat to Celtic in Copenhagen
ERIK SVIATCHENKO has warned Celtic defenders Christopher Jullien and Kristoffer Ajer to brace themselves for a physical battle in Copenhagen on Thursday. As captain of Superligaen leaders Midtjylland, Sviatchenko is fully versed on the threat his old club will face as the Europa League knockout stage commences this week. He would advise his former team-mates not to be lulled into a false sense of security by Copenhagen’s surprise defeat at lowly Esbjerg on Friday night.
Although he admits the Danish champions were rusty as they returned from a two-month winter lay-off and have been weakened by the injury to former Ajax winger Viktor Fischer, Sviatchenko fully expects Stale Solbakken’s team to be a far stronger proposition as they welcome Neil Lennon’s team to a packed Parken Stadium.
He nominates playmaker Carlos Zeca and full-backs Guillermo Varela and Pierre Bengtsson as key figures in the way Copenhagen play, but insists it will be absolutely vital that his former defensive colleagues get a grip of Dame N’Doye.
Once of Hull City, the much-travelled Senegalese striker is now 34 but serves as the focal point for Copenhagen’s attacking play.
‘N’Doye is the top scorer and he is a real handful,’ says Sviatchenko. ‘Jullien and Ajer must be ready for a struggle with him. He likes to get close and try to dominate defenders and when he is up to speed he is very difficult to play against.
‘Sometimes Copenhagen like to use the longer ball and N’Doye is happy to take it in and let the team play from there. If he is able to get a hold of it and bring the full-backs into play, then that is where they can be very dangerous.’
Behind N’Doye, Sviatchenko sees Greek international Zeca as Copenhagen’s most important figure, especially with Fischer missing.
‘Fischer is a player with some X factor, so losing him is a real blow,’ continues Sviatchenko. ‘Without him, the two I would point to are N’Doye and Zeca, the captain.
‘Zeca has had an amazing season and has been nominated for the Danish Player of the Year. The way he covers the pitch, he is like an octopus, stretching out its arms to cover every bit of the grass.
‘It will be so important for Celtic to try to close him down. Alongside him, Rasmus Falk Jensen has a high level of technical ability. He is a creative player — so Celtic need to watch that those two don’t take control of the game.’
Copenhagen’s 1-0 loss to Esbjerg has enhanced Sviatchenko’s prospects of picking up a title medal. Win against Lyngby tomorrow night and the challengers will go seven points clear at the top of the table.
While some rust was inevitable as Copenhagen emerged from a two-month winter shutdown, the 28-year-old believes they will be stronger for having the game in their legs.
‘Esbjerg were really good defensively and put 10 men behind the ball for the entire game and it worked for them,’ notes Sviatchenko.
‘Copenhagen had real difficulties in trying to break them down. They always play with that physical aspect with the full-backs bombing down the wings and putting over crosses, but they struggled to get that final ball into the box.
‘Rustiness might be a problem, but Copenhagen have been doing this for years.
‘It’s not easy to come back from the winter break and be at your best, but in the past they have managed to do well enough to come back for Europe and get one more round out of it.
‘So, as a club and for the manager, it’s nothing new. But this is a relatively new team so the players need to prove they can handle that.
‘It could be a bit of an issue in this game because Celtic are doing so well and scoring so many goals. I think it will be an even game because Copenhagen are a very smart team when it comes to European games.
‘Typically, there is never more than a goal in it.’