Celtic go into tonight’s Europa League Qualifier 2nd Leg against FC Sion facing a tough test having been held to a goalless draw at Parkhead last week. Qualification to the Europa League is essential for the Hoops, however victory against the little-known Swiss side is far from certain.
Although the Europa League is nowhere near as prestigious or financially lucrative as the Champions League, qualification is vital if Celtic are to re-establish themselves as genuine contenders in European competition. Fans were hugely disappointed after Celtic missed out on featuring in last season's UEFA Champions League and Europa League after losing out to Braga and Utrecht in qualifying respectively. However, Neil Lennon has had a year in which to improve his squad and, although we still see Samaras on the squad sheet, there can be little excuse this time if Celtic do miss out.
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| Samaras doing something other than scoring. |
Last week’s encounter ended in disappointment as a below par performance from the Hoops resulted in a 0-0 draw, when many fans were expecting a resounding victory for the Glaswegian side. Undoubtedly, the absence of key players through injury such as Gary Hooper, Beram Kayal and Emilo Izaguirre (out for an expected six months) could be put forward as the reason Celtic failed to put one foot in the door of Europa League qualification. A prolonged pre-season for Celtic could also have contributed to the sluggish display, as Celtic were still playing in the pre-season tournament The Dublin Super Cup when the SPL season had already kicked off.
If Celtic do not have the strength in depth to cope with a side such as FC Sion, when arguably two of their best players are missing (Hooper and Kayal), alarm bells should be ringing for Lennon. Lennon, thus far, has failed to make any major singings to address key areas. While the arrival of Kelvin Wilson looks to be a solid addition to the team, Adam Matthews and Victor Wanyama, although highly rated, still have a lot to learn before they are ready for first team football. However, the departure of Daryl Murphy to Ipswich could indicate that a much needed striker is on their way to Parkhead, although the defensive options would seemingly need addressed also.
Celtic must be mentally prepared as well as physically for tonight’s encounter, a shock defeat at home to St. Johnstone will have somewhat dented the confidence of the men in the Hoops. But, there will be a boost with the return of Hooper, Kayal, Kelvin Wilson and Mulgrew (open for debate). However, the extent to which any of these players feature remains to be seen, and if they do Neil Lennon will be hoping one of them holds the key to unlock the Sion defence and score past goalkeeper Andris Vanins, who proved unbeatable in the First Leg.
FC Sion will be coming off the back of a 3-0 victory in their league encounter with Neuchatel Xamax, a team that has beaten Celtic 5-2 on aggregate in the past. The Hoops have struggled in the past with Swiss opposition, suffering the worst European defeat in the clubs history to Neuchatel Xamax and barely edging out Young Boys, with an 105th minute own goal separating the sides over two legs.
Celtic, although at the time under the guidance of Tony Mowbray, have won away from home in Europe in recent years, overturning a 1-0 deficit against FC Dynamo Moscow. So all hope of progressing to the group stages of the Europa League cannot be dismissed just because Celtic failed to make home advantage count. It’s arguably a stronger Celtic side now than that of two years ago that travelled to Moscow trailing 1-0, against, again arguably, weaker opponents. Celtic fans all over will be hoping they can do what was done against Dynamo Moscow; secure a rare victory on their European travels, with Celtic still seemingly the favourites to progress and repeat what was done in Moscow. And yes, I haven’t forgotten that Samaras scored the winner in that encounter.
