Celtic v Fenerbache
Thursday 1st October – Kickoff: 2005hrs
Football – Europe – Europa League
The second round of the Europa League group stage see’s Celtic host Turkish giants Fenerbache at Celtic Park. The hosts were rewarded for a brave performance against Ajax by earning a point in Amsterdam a fortnight ago, but their opponents got off to the worst possible start by losing 3-1 at home to Molde – the lowest ranked team in this group. It means there is a lot at stake for both clubs as they face each other for the first ever time in a competitive match.
Having gotten off to a shaky start both domestically and in Europe (knocked out the Champions League by Malmo at the play-off stage), there was little expectation on Celtic to get a positive result against Ajax, but there certainly was a lot of pressure on Ronny Delia and his players. The performance and result was very similar to their opening group fixture in last year’s competition away to Salzburg, and the manager will hope that it is a similar outcome as they progressed to the knockout stage 12 months ago. It could have been even better for Celtic if Emilio Izaguirre had not been sent off when his team were winning 2-1. The result of that meant Celtic were resigned to defending much deeper and allowing Ajax more possession in dangerous areas. The Honduran will miss out on Thursday as a result of that red card.
Fener’s defeat to Molde was arguably the shock of the opening round of fixtures in the Europa League. Having signed Robin van Persie and Nani from Manchester United, and Lazar Markovic in the summer, expectation was high that those additions would wrestle the title back from Galatasaray and make an impact on the Champions League. Like Celtic, however, Fenerbache were unable to negotiate the qualifiers, falling at a stage earlier than their opponents on Thursday. It would have been a huge disappointment to those players who have been used to playing at that level and it was possible they were still suffering a hangover from the defeat to Shakthar. Domestically they sit joint top with Besiktas after 13 games but lost their unbeaten record in the league, losing to that rival at the weekend.
Celtic’s home record in last season’s Europa League seen them win two, draw one and lose one. Three out the four finished with three or more goals scored and featured both teams scoring. Having seen plenty of them this campaign, it looks very similar in terms of their approach as they appear very vulnerable in defence but are also dangerous going forward and create plenty of chances, which was evident once again against Ajax. Delia is yet to find settled selection in defence due to a combination of injury, suspension and transfers, and due to Izaguirre’s ban, there will be at least one more change on Thursday. Tyler Blackett – on loan from Manchester United – looks set to make his full European debut for Celtic in his absence and could face his former team-mate, Nani.
The signing of Van Persie was undoubtedly a coup for Fenerbache and Turkish football in general, and the Dutchman arrived to a hero’s welcome. It has not been the dream start that the Fener supporters had hoped for, however, with the relationship between themselves and the player – and between Van Persie and the managed – being somewhat frosty. The striker has been left on the bench at times when claiming to be fully fit and was accused of not fully applying himself in the defeat at home to Molde. That being said, he has already scored four goals and could be set to lead the line in Glasgow on Thursday evening.
Celtic v Fenerbache Betting Tips
It might not necessarily be a must win match for the visitors but it’s virtually a must not lose having lost their first home game in the section. Celtic know a win would put them in a strong position in the group but will also be aware they face a very good team who will be hurting from that surprise loss two weeks ago.
The hosts come into this game on the back of another disappointing domestic performance, managing only a goalless draw against Hearts. The pressure remains on Delia so another positive European result would be a huge boost for the Celtic manager. His opposite number on Thursday is also under scrutiny. Victor Pereira only took over in the summer but he’s not had the best of starts with failure to reach the Champions League and the apparent fallout with Van Persie.
With both clubs desperate for a win to boost what have been disappointing seasons, there is plenty of reason to expect a very competitive encounter in a competition where that might not always be the case. Neither side look convincing in defence and with so much attacking talent on display, particularly in the away side’s ranks, there should be a few goals. Five of Fenerbache’s last six games have had three or more goals whilst four of Celtic’s last six games have resulted in the same thing.
Over 2.5 goals 10/11 @ Skybet
