Celtic

When Celtic won a corner in the 21st minute of their Group G Champions League match, many of the Glasgow attendees hoped for, but few expected, what came of it. Charlie Mulgrew sent the ball into play, and Victor Wanyama headed it home.

Before the eruption of cheers subsided, the dread began. The Hoops were not playing just anybody; their opponent was Barcelona. The moment seemed eerily akin to another group game played at Camp Nou, when Celtic also took an early lead.

If it is possible to hold one's breath for over an hour, some of The Hoops faithful surely accomplished that feat. Then, in the 81st minute, Tony Watt gave the home side the insurance it was craving. Watt won the race to a long ball and drove a shot past Victor Valdes for a 2-0 lead.

The city of Glasgow began to believe.

As it turned out, the 18-year-old Watt did indeed provide insurance, because Lionel Messi found pay dirt to cut the lead to 2-1 in stoppage time.

So, how did Celtic do it? What was their improbable blueprint for bringing down the great Barca?

As it turns out, Celtic did not discover any easily repeated formula. They pretty much played the match straight up, and simply took better advantage of their fewer opportunities. 

Barca controlled possession. The number was even higher than their usual at 84 percent.

The Celtic players maintained a disciplined shape, for the most part, but not within a defensive shell. They played their game. After the first few minutes, they stopped chasing Barca's deep possession, and opted to let the attack come to them, but it was not a true defensive shell.

The Catalans clearly created more opportunities, as evidenced by their 25 shots, with eight on target. Celtic, in comparison, only put three on target, and two of those three ended up in the back of the net.

That, perhaps, is the non-tactical formula for beating a superior team. It is the same formula employed during what has been called the greatest World Cup shocker, when in 1950 the U.S. men's national team surprised the far superior English side.

The formula is to strike early on your first real chance, then put the match in the hands of your keeper and hope he has a career night. That is what Celtic did, and goalkeeper, Fraser Forster, responded in kind.

The Celtic Park woodwork might need some touch-up paint after this one, as those crossbars and posts did their part as well.

This is why this result means nothing.

This result was not completely based on luck. After all, Celtic nearly got a point at Camp Nou a couple weeks back, and currently holds the second spot in Group G. However, this result is not likely to be replicated anytime soon.

Not to be the bearer of bad tidings, but Celtic is simply something less than a contender. They are a very good side, and now likely to go through into the knockout rounds. They are good enough to beat a better opponent there, even over the span of a home-and-home aggregate series.

They are not good enough to do it four times in a row.

Which is why, for Celtic and their fans, this result means everything. This match was their European championship.

The fact that it came 24 hours after the club celebrated its 125th anniversary is nostalgia-dipped icing on their Scotch trifle.

Celtic came oh so close to snatching a precious point in the Nou Camp tonight, losing out on a last-gasp goal from Jordi Alba 30 seconds from the end.

The pattern of the match was fairly predictable beforehand, with Barca enjoying more than 70 percent of the possession, and attacking at will.

Despite their dominance though, Barcelona found it very difficult to open up a stubborn and dogged Celtic defence, with Efe Ambrose and Kelvin Wilson in tremendous form.

The defence was well protected by Victor Wanyama and Scott Brown and for much of the match Barcelona were forced to play in front of that formidable banner.

Celtic was in dreamland in the 17th minute when Scott Brown was fouled on the right wing and Charlie Mulgrew whipped a dangerous cross into the box from the free kick.

The ball landed perfectly for Georgios Samaras and his header deflected off Javier Mascherano and into the net to give Celtic an unlikely lead.

The play followed the same pattern for the remainder of the half, with Barcelona constantly threatening, but never really carving out a clear opportunity, until the 44th minute.

That was when Barcelona finally clicked and Messi combined with Iniesta for the latter to stab the ball beyond Fraser Forster despite the close attention of four Celtic defenders.

It was desperately unfortunate for Celtic to concede so late in the half, having defended superbly for so long, especially after the huge blow of losing Samaras on the 39th minute after he went over on his ankle.

The second half followed an identical pattern of increasingly threatening Barcelona attacks, with Forster having a brilliant match, making two breathtaking saves on Lionel Messi.

First on a 67th minute low cross from the right, the Argentinian met the ball on the edge of the six yard box and Forster showed incredible reflexes to bat away his snapshot.

Forster possibly bettered that in the 74th minute when Messi’s late run into the box went untracked by the Celtic defence and from a Xavi cross, his diving header from right in front of goal was tipped up and over by the English keeper.

It looked like it might be Celtic’s night when David Villa hit the post with a low right foot shot from the edge of the penalty box in the 89th minute, only for the referee to signal Barcelona would have another four minutes to find the winner.

It came in the 93rd minute when Emilio Izaguirre and Beram Kayal failed to stop a cross to the back post where Jordi Alba was on hand to slot it home and break Celtic hearts.

I said before the match that avoiding embarrassment was possibly the best that Celtic could hope for.

They came agonisingly close to taking a point but everyone involved can be rightly proud of a superb defensive performance  against one of the best club sides ever seen.

Barcelona - Valdes, Adriano, Mascherano, Bartra, Alba, Song, Xavi, Iniesta, Alexis (Villa), Messi, Pedro (Tello)

Celtic - Forster, Lustig, Ambrose, Wilson, Izaguirre, Brown (Commons), Wanyama, Ledley, Mulgrew (Kayal), Samaras (Forrest), Hooper

Player of the match - Andres Iniesta. Fraser Forster, with some superb saves ran him close, but Iniesta was a constant menace. His close control and ability to commit a defender being at the heart of every threatening Barcelona move.

Follow Daniel O'Connell on twitter @DanielOConnel18

Neil Lennon has some valuable advice for his Celtic players ahead of Tuesday night's UEFA Champions League match at Barcelona's Camp Nou.

Keep your shirts on, boys.

No really. Lennon, who himself has been known to lose his cool at times, is calling for his players to keep their cool in the demigod-like presence of Barcelona's galaxy of superstars.

The strategy? Don't make plans before the game trade shirts with Lionel Messi or Xavi or Andres Iniesta (OK, not even Victor Valdes either).

After the game? Yeah, that might be fine. But don't even think about it before the first whistle

Here are Lennon's comments, per the Scottish Daily Record:

All this stuff about chasing after shirts is nonsense.

I don’t want my players getting involved in all that. I won’t be in the tunnel when the teams walk out but I just want them to look straight ahead, not look to the side at their opponents. I want them to try to focus on getting a foothold on the game at some stage.

It's easy to snicker at Lennon, but he might have a point.

Remember that linesman who asked Messi for a picture at halftime of a South American World Cup qualifier last week? Yeah, his integrity might have been compromised just a wee bit.

For Celtic, it isn't integrity that's at stake. We all know Lennon and company will be going all out for a win, or even just a point.

But with Barcelona's defense in disarray, an upset might just on the line. With that in mind, better keep those shirts on.

Follow @MikeCummings37

On the face of it, it looks like Mission: Impossible for Celtic in Barcelona tonight.

This current Barca side are unquestionably one of the greatest teams of any era, and there is an undoubted gulf in class between the two squads.

Yet there are some who dare to hope that Celtic might just take something from the match.

Just what is this extremely cautious optimism based on?

First of all, Barcelona have a perceived defensive frailty going into the game.

On Saturday, they conceded four in a thrilling match away to Deportivo la Coruna.

Typically, Barca still won, with Lionel Messi’s 21st hat trick for the club pivotal in a 5-4 victory.

It should be noted, too, that of Deportivo’s four goals, one was a penalty and one an own goal.

Barcelona also played for 43 minutes with only 10 men after Javier Mascherano was ordered off at the beginning of the second half.

Maybe not too much call for optimism, but there is also the small matter of a mini defensive crisis for the Catalans.

They will be missing captain Carlos Puyol, Gerard Pique, Dani Alves and Eric Abidal. Midfielders Alex Song and Mascherano look set to play in central defence against the Glasgow side.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoYJfvgrSfA

One thing is clear—no matter how frail Barcelona may appear to be defensively, they still possess more than enough attacking menace to compensate for that.

Lionel Messi is in the form of his life and has destroyed better defences than Celtic’s almost single-handedly with stunning regularity over the past few seasons.

It’s not all about Barcelona, though.

Celtic are showing signs of having clicked into gear in recent weeks and have been buoyed by their first-ever away win in the group stages against Spartak Moscow three weeks ago.

This is a very different Celtic side from the one that reached the last 16 two years in succession under Gordon Strachan.

Where Strachan’s side were well-drilled and hardworking but (aside from Shunsuke Nakamura) somewhat staid and predictable, Neil Lennon’s team is, in comparison, bristling with creative talent.

There is a solid-looking spine to the team, of recent England call-up Fraser Forster in goal, Nigerian internationalist Efe Ambrose in central defence, Kenyan powerhouse Victor Wanyama in central midfield and the free-scoring Gary Hooper in attack.

Much will depend on how those four perform on the night.

Forster is increasingly commanding in goals but was at fault for Spartak Moscow’s second goal on Matchday 2.

Ambrose is quick, strong and powerful but has shown a tendency to over-elaborate under pressure at the back where a punt into the stands would be a more sensible option.

Wanyama, at SPL level at least, is the complete footballer and shows every sign that he could be a top-class player at a much higher level. He does, though, still tend to find his name in the referee’s book due to rash tackles, and at Champions League level, that could be disastrous.

Hooper has so far met every challenge presented to him at Celtic and has scored goals at every level.

Around this spine, and subject to availability, Celtic have players who might—just might—prove to be capable of springing a surprise on Barca.

Emilio Izaguirre and Adam Matthews are fast, skillful fullbacks, while Kelvin Wilson has been slowly rehabilitating himself this term with a series of solid performances, notably alongside Ambrose.

Joe Ledley, Beram Kayal and Scott Brown (if fit) will vie for the midfield berths alongside Wanyama. The steadiness and goalscoring threat of Ledley may be preferred to the more energetic but sometimes erratic Kayal, while Brown will definitely play (fitness permitting).

In attack, Hooper will probably be supported by Georgios Samaras, who has been outstanding this season, especially in the Champions League. His pace and strength will be utilised at every opportunity, possibly from a position wide on the left.

It will be a huge bonus for Celtic if Kris Commons is able to play. His ability to pick a killer pass and his eye for goal will be vital for the team this season, regardless of results in the double-header against Barcelona.

Apart from the obvious—Barcelona’s off-the-ball movement, Xavi and Iniesta’s quick, intricate, bewildering passing and Messi’s outrageous genius—the biggest problem Celtic will face tonight will be Barcelona’s relentless pressing on the rare occasions Celtic have the ball.

Celtic won’t get a second to settle on the ball and will have to work very hard to avoid losing possession high up the pitch.

Probably Celtic’s best chance tonight will come from set plays. This is a tall, strong and physically imposing team, and one that could exploit the makeshift nature of Barcelona’s smaller defence.

Going Route 1 and bypassing midfield altogether could be Celtic’s best chance of taking the game to Barca and putting pressure on them at the back.

There are signs that Celtic’s current crop of players are the best seen at the club since the Martin O’Neill era, and they are certainly higher in quality than Gordon Strachan’s overachievers.

Tonight will provide the opportunity to assess just how good they can be.

Looking back at the history books, Celtic have played at Camp Nou three times in the past decade, gaining a 0-0 draw to knock Barcelona out of the UEFA Cup in 2004, a 1-1 group-stage draw in 2005 and a 0-1 defeat in the last 16 stage in 2008.

Barcelona has actually scored more goals against Celtic at Celtic Park than in Camp Nou.

While the current Celtic side has more attacking options than the last two to visit Barcelona, they have not yet achieved the defensive solidity of those earlier sides.

IF the Barcelona defence has an uncertain night, and IF Celtic’s midfield can make any sort of impression on the game and IF Celtic’s big players can reach the standard many suspect that they can, then anything is possible.

Perhaps the best that Celtic can hope for tonight is to come away without being embarrassed, but the opportunity is there for at least some of a very talented group of players to make themselves legends.

Celtic recorded their first away win of the Champions League era in the competition proper tonight after a rollercoaster match in Moscow.

Gary Hooper gave Celtic the lead on 12 minutes before two goals from Emmanuel Emenike either side of half-time put Spartak Moscow ahead.

After Spartak were reduced to 10 men for the final half hour, Celtic took control; after equalising through an own goal, the men from Scotland snatched a last-minute winner through Georgios Samaras.

It was a tentative start from Celtic on the artificial pitch in the Luzhniki Stadium, and Spartak enjoyed an early dominance, with the impressive Kim Kallstrom pulling the strings in midfield.

The game was quite suddenly turned on its head when Victor Wanyama powered forward from his deep-lying position in the Celtic midfield and bulldozed his way past Kallstrom, before sending Mikael Lustig clear on the right.

Lustig's low cross was perfectly placed for Hooper to score his 60th goal in 99 starts for Celtic.

While Spartak still enjoyed the majority of the possession after Hooper's opener, they struggled to create any clear-cut chances, and only Celtic's hesitant defending offered them any hope at that stage.

Hooper looked to have added a second for Celtic midway through the half, nodding home a Samaras cross, but he had strayed just offside and the strike was ruled out.

Spartak found an equaliser on 42 minutes after the Celtic defence was caught napping by a long ball over the top from Kallstrom.

Brazilian striker Ari latched on to it at the back post, and played a smart ball across for Emenike to tap home from close range.

The second half started disastrously for Celtic as Fraser Forster dived to stop a deflected shot from the edge of the box, but could only divert it into the path of Demy de Zeeuw, who looked suspiciously offside at the initial shot.

The Hungarian played the ball across for Emenike to slot home, with Lustig and Efe Ambrose too slow to the loose ball.

It looked to be an uphill struggle for Celtic from that point, with Spartak confidently knocking passes around, but the game dramatically turned again when Hooper's run clear on goal was halted unfairly by Argentine defender Juan Manuel Insaurralde.

French referee Tony Chapron, who made some strange decisions throughout, initially allowed play to continue as Spartak cleared the ball, before stopping play and issuing the red card.

Several minutes elapsed before Insaurralde left the field, and Charlie Mulgrew fired the freekick straight at goalkeeper Sergei Pesyakov.

Celtic equalised following a cross from the left from Mulgrew, which was cleverly dummied by Samaras.

Hooper collected the ball with his back to goal before laying it off into the path of substitute James Forrest (on for Wanyama), whose shot was blocked by the goalkeeper's leg before rebounding off defender Dmitri Kombarov and into the empty net on 71 minutes.

Celtic dominated the remaining 20 minutes, taking full advantage of the extra player, but as the 90 minute mark passed, it looked as though they would have to settle for one point.

Then Emilio Izaguirre whipped a cross into the box from the left wing, and Samaras rose in the middle of the penalty box to place a powerful header just inside the far post to give Celtic a deserved win and send their travelling fans into raptures.

Player of the match: Gary Hooper. The English forward led the line magnificently for Celtic, scoring the opener and setting up Celtic's second.

Spartak Moscow:  (4-3-3) Pesyakov; Makeev, Insaurralde, Pareja, D. Kombarov; Carioca, Kallstrom, De Zeeuw (Bryzgalov 65); Ari (Kozlov 87) Emenike, McGeady ( Dzyuba 76)

Celtic: (4-4-2) Forster; Lustig, Wilson, Ambrose, Izaguirre; Commons, Brown, Wanyama (Forrest 70) Mulgrew (Ledley 78) Samaras, Hooper

Follow Daniel O'Connell on twitter @DanielOConnel18

A young man named John Thomson

From the Wellesley Fife he came

To play for Glasgow Celtic

And to make himself a name

On the 5^th day of September

‘Gainst the Rangers club did play

From defeat he saved the Celtic

Oh but what a price to pay!

September 5 is a poignant day in the life of every Celtic supporter—the anniversary of the death of goalkeeper John Thomson—evoking an intensity of emotion undimmed by the passing of the eighty first year since that fateful day in 1931.

It was a miserably wet afternoon at Ibrox Park, the weather matched by the quality and excitement of the match to that point, when John Thomson collided with Rangers forward Sam English.

The Celtic defence had been split by a through ball, leaving Sam English with a clear run on the Celtic goal, and John Thomson, in typical fashion, hurled himself at the Rangers forwards feet.

As the ball ran wide of the goal, English’s momentum carried him over the outstretched arm of the Celtic goalkeeper, his knee crashing into John Thomson’s head.

A hush descended over the 80,000 crowd as English gingerly rose to his feet and limped away.

John Thomson lay still on the turf, one raised arm seemingly frozen in the air, blood pouring from a wound to his temple.

As the players frantically called for help, the trainers and managers of both teams ran onto the pitch and Thomson was stretchered from the pitch; his head swathed in bandages. He had sustained a depressed fracture of the skull.

In those far off days, before live television coverage and instant communications, John’s brother Jim had to send a telegraph to the Post Office in Cardenden, Fife and his parents were informed by a policeman as they sat down for their evening meal.

A car was arranged by Rangers’ manager Bill Struth to rush them to the Victoria Infirmary in Glasgow. They arrived shortly before their son died at 9:25 p.m. without regaining consciousness.

The ball came down the centre

Young John ran out and dived

The ball ran wide but John lay still

For his club this hero died.

Farewell my darling Johnny

Prince of Players we must part

No more we’ll stand and cheer you

On the slopes of Celtic Park.

The death of John Thomson would have been tragic in any circumstances, but it was made more so by his talent and bravery as a goalkeeper, and the fact he was such a fine young man.

Sir Robert Kelly, Celtic’s long-serving Chairman who saw both Thomson’s first and last Celtic matches, wrote of him:

“It was the natural athletic gracefulness of Thomson that appealed to everyone. He was not tall as goalkeepers go, but at 5ft 9 ½ in. and 11st. he was perfectly built. He had the sure clutching hands and fingers of a world class fielder in cricket and he had ability remarkable in one of his tender years to read opponents’ moves before they tried to complete them. Many a time he gave the impression of being off his mark in a leap or dive to save before the opponent had made the effort. But if young John made up his mind to go in a particular way he was right 19 times out of 20.”

Teammate, and later Celtic manager, Jimmy McGrory described him as a natural athlete, who would have excelled at whatever sport he had taken up.

He would later recall with wonderment that Thomson executed a perfect graceful dive worthy of an Olympic champion into a swimming pool on Celtic’s summer tour of the USA in 1931, and of a reluctant Thomson making a first ever attempt at swinging a golf club, and hitting a 200 yard drive straight down the fairway.

James Handley, in The Story of Celtic wrote:

“It is hard for those who did not know him to appreciate the power of the spell he cast on all who watched him regularly in action. ‘A man who has not read Homer,’ wrote Bagehot, ‘is like a man who has not seen the ocean. There is a great object of which he has no idea.’ In like manner, a generation who did not see John Thomson has missed a touch of greatness in sport, for he was a brilliant virtuoso, as Gigli was and Menuhin is. One artist employs the voice as his instrument, another the violin or cello. For Thomson it was a handful of leather. We shall not look upon his like again.”

The defining quality of John Thomson on the soccer field was bravery, and it was this quality that would cost him his life.

In an era when goalkeepers received precious little protection from referees and holding onto the ball for any length of times was to invite a severe battering from opposition players, Thomson thought nothing of putting his body between onrushing opponents and the ball.

In a match against Airdrieonians in February 1930—in a similar incident—he had sustained a broken jaw and rib, a fractured collar bone and the loss of two teeth, which necessitated a stay in the hospital and an absence of some months from the team.

The outpouring of grief occasioned by John Thomson’s death reflected the love and affection in which he was held by all at Celtic Park and beyond.

30,000 people attended his funeral in Cardenden—thousands of whom had walked the 55 miles from Glasgow to be there.

As his coffin was carried to Fife, the entire route was lined by mourners, six deep.

I took a stroll down Parkhead

To the dear old Paradise

And as the players came out

Sure the tears fell from my eyes

A familiar face was missing

From the Green and White Brigade

And they told me Johnny Thomson

His last game he had played.

We must not forget though, the second victim of the tragedy.

The totally blameless Sam English cut an increasingly forlorn figure as the months and years passed.

He wept inconsolably at a memorial service in Glasgow on the day of Thomson’s funeral, and a week later visited John’s parents at their home in Fife.

They assured him they attached no blame to him for the tragic accident and wished him well.

Unfairly jeered by fans throughout Scotland, he moved to Liverpool the following year, where he continued to face the same jeering and eventually he retired from soccer—aged just 28.

Ever since that awful day in September 1931, every time Celtic play a match in Fife, a wreath is laid by Celtic supporters on the grave of John Thomson.

An annual soccer tournament is held in his name, competed for by all of the primary schools in Fife.

So play up Glasgow Celtic

Stand up and play the game

For in your goal a spirit stands

Johnny Thomson is his name

Farewell my darling Johnny

Prince of Players we must part

No more we’ll stand and cheer you

On the slopes of Celtic Park.

The great grandfathers of most Celtic supporters today would have been too young to have seen John Thomson play but generations of fans ever since have spoken of his incredible talent in hushed tones and can recount his deeds as though they were there in person.

It is a living testament to the truth of the tribute paid by Celtic manager Willie Maley:

“They never die who live in the hearts of those they leave behind.”

Sources: The Official Biography of Celtic Graham McColl

Celtic: A Century With Honour Brian Wilson

The Story of Celtic Gerald McNee

 

 

 

Follow Daniel O'Connell on twitter @DanielOConnel18

Celtic takes on Helsingborgs IF in the second leg of their Champions League playoff tie at Celtic Park tomorrow night.

Just like the first leg, and the two ties against HJK Helsinki before it, this is the biggest match of Celtic’s season.

With a two-goal lead from the match in Helsingborg, Celtic are in pretty good shape and are clear favourites to progress into the group stages for the first time since the 2008-09 season.

A convincing win away to Inverness Caledonian Thistle at the weekend has ensured Celtic retain the feel-good factor from that first leg but is of only limited use in assessing how they will perform tomorrow night.

The two stars of the show against ICT were 18-year-old Tony Watt and 19-year-old Filip Twardzik, neither of whom are certainties to start against Helsingborg.

Neither Joe Ledley nor Beram Kayal will play after picking up injuries in the first league, and both are expected to be out for a few more weeks. There are also injury concerns over Thomas Rogne, Scott Brown and Kris Commons, none of whom appeared in the Highlands at the weekend.

Another player who won’t feature will be Mohamed Bangura, who has gone out on loan until December to AIK Stockholm.

The two-goal lead gives Celtic a conundrum. Do they try to put the tie beyond Helsingborg’s reach with an early goal, leaving themselves open to counterattack and the possibility of the loss of an early goal throwing the tie back into the balance?

Or do they keep things cagey for the first quarter of the game and adopt a more patient approach?

With a passionate Celtic Park crowd roaring them on, I would expect Celtic to attack from the get-go.

Helsingborg may feel they have nothing to lose and will certainly not consider progression beyond them. If they can score first, it would make for an uncomfortable evening for Celtic.

I expect Celtic to line up in their familiar 4-4-2 formation, and assuming everyone is fit, the team could be: Forster, Matthews, Mulgrew, Rogne, Izaguirre, Forrest, Brown, Wanyama, Samaras, Commons and Hooper.

On the other hand, Mikael Lustig could come in at right-back with Adam Matthews pushed forward into midfield at the expense of Forrest, who is not yet at 100-percent fitness.

Should the injured trio not make it, the lineup could change with Wilson coming in for Rogne, Twardzik for Brown and McCourt for Commons—McCourt lining up on the left of midfield with Samaras moving up top to partner Hooper in the forward line.

Both Watt and Twardzik will be in the squad and should feature at some point if they do not make the starting XI.

The return of Victor Wanyama for Celtic should plug the gaps so dangerously exploited by Helsingborg in the first leg.

Since posting a 7-2 victory over Kalmar on August 12, Helsingborg have lost three matches on the spin, the first-leg loss to Celtic being sandwiched by a 1-2 loss to Elfsborg on August 18 and a 1-3 defeat to Djurgarden on August 25.

Recent signings Alejandro Bedoya and Nikola Djurdic both opened their scoring accounts in those matches, and they will be hoping to add to their tallies against Celtic.

Helsingborg's lineup could be Hansson, Sadiku, Krafth, Nordmark, Uronen, Andersson, Mahlangu, Gashi,  Bedoya, Djurdic and Sorum.

Taking into account the recent form of both sides, my prediction is that Celtic will go through to the group stages, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see some thrills and spills along the way.

While 2-0 seems a commanding lead, it could become a precarious one if Helsingborg open the scoring—especially if they do so early on.

If we know anything about Celtic in Europe, it is that things rarely go smoothly, and in Helsingborg they face an opponent perfectly capable of causing an upset.

 Follow Daniel O'Connell on twitter @DanielOConnel18

Celtic has taken a giant step closer to the UEFA Champions League group stages for the first time since season 2008-09 with a 2-0 away victory over IF Helsingborgs.

Neil Lennon’s side lined up in an adventurous 4-3-3 formation, with Beram Kayal flanked by Scott Brown and Joe Ledley in midfield.

Georgios Samaras and Kris Commons provided the width up top, with Gary Hooper at center forward.

Before the match had settled into any kind of pattern, Celtic’s two wide men combined to give Celtic a dream start in the second minute.

Samaras whipped over a swerving cross from the left flank for Commons to show excellent technique to volley home.

Normally when Celtic play away from home in Europe, they lose a goal in the first few minutes before going on to have a shambolic first half.

This time, in a welcome change, they scored a quick goal of their own––before going on to have a shambolic first half.

After catching their hosts cold, Celtic’s formation seemed unsuited for the task in hand, with plenty of room between the defence and midfield for the Swedish champions to exploit.

Fraser Forster, in goal for Celtic, made two excellent saves from Helsingborg’s USA international Alejandro Bedoya and Nikola Djurdic.

The save from Djurdic in particular was impressive, with the Serbian through on goal in a central position. Forster stayed on his feet and when Djurdic tried to chip the ball over him, the English keeper comfortably swatted it away to safety.

Celtic’s main problem in that first half was profligacy in possession and a lack of composure––deficiencies which will be severely punished if displayed in the group stages of the competition.

This was seen in microcosm midway through the half when Helsingborg cleared the ball from a Celtic corner to the waiting Adam Matthews on the halfway line.

The young Welsh fullback attempted to pass the ball back to Forster in the Celtic goal, but under pressure from May Mahlangu took a fresh air swipe, leaving the South African midfielder haring clean through on Forster.

Fortunately for Matthews and Celtic, his searing pace allowed him to get in front of Mahlangu on the edge of the penalty box and he managed to do enough to see the ball safely back to Forster while the Helsingborg crowd made half-hearted appeals for a penalty.

It was a fraught first half for Celtic, but they reached halftime with that early lead intact.

The second half was better for Celtic, although they were never comfortable until Samaras rose at the back post to head in a Commons corner in the 75^th minute.

Celtic’s formation changed to 4-4-2 in the second half, with the injured Beram Kayal being replaced by James Forrest.

Forrest took the right midfield berth, with Commons playing in a withdrawn role behind Hooper. Ledley joined Brown in the center while Samaras slotted into the left midfield position.

The play continued to head in the direction of the Celtic goal, and Thomas Rogne could consider himself fortunate to be shown only a yellow card after handling the ball as Helsgingborg forward Thomas Sorum attempted to play it past him on the edge of the penalty box.

The resultant free kick was easily saved by Forster.

A bright spot in the second half for Celtic was the return of James Forrest who showed electric pace and good close control to frequently terrorise Helsingborg’s left back Jere Uronen.

The wind was taken from Helsingborg’s sails after Celtic notched their second, and while by that stage Helsingborg could justifiably point to several missed chances, Celtic had previously seen a Ledley header hit the top of the crossbar and went on to come close on two occasions to adding a third.

First Samaras latched onto a clearance on the left and flew past Sadiku, before bursting into the penalty box.

From a position on the left of the box, he elected to ignore the waiting Commons in the center and take a shot himself.

His attempt to curl the ball in at the far post drifted wide.

Celtic came closer a few minutes later after another darting run and pass from Forrest was left by Commons on the edge of the box for Charlie Mulgrew, whose shot crashed off the crossbar.

By this stage, Celtic was playing with far more confidence and composure––looking far more likely to add to the lead than Helsingborg did to pulling one back.

Barring a major catastrophe Wednesday next, Champions League soccer looks like it will be returning to Celtic Park after a four year absence.

Player of the match: Celtic goalkeeper Fraser Forster, who saved his team on several occasions. The big Englishman dominated his penalty box and proved an impassable barrier for the Helsingborg attack.

 

 

Helsingborg: Hansson (c), Uronen, Atta, Sadiku, Wahlstedt (Accam 63), Andersson, Gashi, Mahlangu, Bedoya, Sorum (Alvaro 65), Djurdic

Celtic: Forster, Matthews, Rogne, Mulgrew, Izaguirre, Brown (c), Kayal (Forrest 46), Ledley (Wilson 66), Commons (Watt 89), Hooper, Samaras

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Celtic is going to destroy their bitter rival Rangers in their latest fixture, and they're going to do so in a classy manner.

I know, it's tough to imagine a demolition being classy, but if there's anything that I respect about this Celtic side, it's their manager, Neil Lennon.

The Hoops are well ahead of the Rangers in the league table, currently boasting a 75-54 lead over their rivals. They are the clear favorites to win the Scottish Premier League title, and they may just have a chance to do so on their rival's home turf if everything matches up.

According to ESPNSoccernet, the Hoops can win the SPL title if Motherwell, who is currently tied with the Rangers at 54 points, loses to Kilmarnock on Saturday. Their report also quotes Celtic's head man Lennon, who says they won't be there to "gloat":

The Celtic boss said: ''We had the police up on Wednesday, we had a chat with the head of the police organisation about the game on Sunday but not with regards post-match celebrations.

''I think he just wants to make sure that the game goes as well as it possibly can go which I totally understand.

''The last thing we want to do is rub it in people's faces. We won't be there to gloat. We will be respectful of everyone at the stadium.''

It's a huge deal to win a title in any sport, but to do so against a bitter rival and in front of their fans is something that very few teams get to experience. The fact that Lennon has already come out and said that his side won't rub it in Rangers' faces is exceptional, and it's a classy move on his part.

It also goes to show you how focused this Celtic team is. All they can do is take care of business and beat Rangers, and that seems to be all they are worried about.

Celebrations and league titles are all secondary goals, and they don't matter if they don't beat their rival.

I expect a demolition on Sunday. A classy demolition.

The Old Firm will be back on the pitch for the 398th time as Rangers and Celtic renew their age-old Scottish Premier League rivalry at Ibrox Stadium on Sunday. The Gers have dropped their last two matches to Hearts and Dundee United, both by 2-1 margins, while the Hoops, having already sewn up the league title, were most upended in the Scottish Communities Cup final by Kilmarnock.

Celtic took the last meeting between these two back in December but still trails in the all-time series, 144-158-95.

Where: Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow, Scotland

When: Sunday, March 25th at 8 a.m. ET

Watch: FOX Soccer Channel, Ma Chaine Sport, Sport 1 Hungary, One Sport, Sport TV4, Orange Sport Poland, SportKlub Slovenia

Live Stream: FOX Soccer 2 Go

Most Important Player to Watch: Gary Hooper

It's only fitting that Gary Hooper would be the Hoops' best player. The 24-year-old striker leads the SPL with 16 goals along with six assists in his second season in Glasgow.

Not surprisingly, Hooper's had his fair share of success against the Light Blues, with four goals in eight career appearances in the Old Firm. 

Key Matchup: Hooper vs. Carlos Bocanegra

An Englishman and an American battling on Scottish soil? Why not? Rangers will need Bocanegra, the squad's vice-captain, to anchor the back line's efforts against Hooper and a Celtic attack that's put through an SPL-best 62 goals this season.

What They're Saying

Both clubs find themselves approaching massive flux ahead of the latest Old Firm fixture. Rangers are currently in the process of collecting bids for sale and have lost three of their four matches since being forced into administration last month. Said Light Blues striker David Healy of the upcoming match:

"It's going to be a tough challenge and it's always a big game, the Old Firm. I know everybody here is looking forward to it and Celtic will be looking to bounce back after their disappointment in the [Scottish Communities League] Cup final.

"They have got a good squad and good players, players that can hurt you, but come Sunday hopefully we will have done enough during the week to know how we can go out and get the right result."

Meanwhile, Celtic's attempts to move up the food chain of football in the British Isles have already been thwarted. The Hoops had hoped slip into English football by way of League One, but were struck down by Football League chairman Greg Clarke, who said of the proposed move:

"We have absolutely no intention of having any discussions with any club from another national league regarding membership of our competition.

"This would be highly disrespectful to the Scottish FA and Scottish Premier League and will not be countenanced by the Football League."

Prediction: Celtic 2, Rangers 1

Neither club has been on a particularly strong run of form of late, though, with this being Celtic's year, expect the Hoops to claim the rubber match from Rangers this weekend.

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