da leao： Celtic are set to kick off their UEFA Champions League qualifying campaign with a trip to Belfast on Friday to face Linfield at Windsor Park.
da dobrowin： With no away supporters in attendance and with an atmosphere that is likely to be hostile to say the least, it’s an unexpectedly feisty affair for this stage of the competition.
Pre-seasons preparations have gone well with the club not yet defeated on their trips to Vienna, Prague or Dublin. Still, they are not up to peak match fitness and after the stumble against Lincoln Red Imps last summer, they know full well they’ll need to be on the top of their game.
The qualifying campaign will get much tougher in the following rounds should they get past Linfield and the Hoops will need top performers across the team if they are to reach the group stage.
Who will those players be? We’ve picked out THREE that we think will be the men to deliver success this summer…
James Forrest
With the exceptionally popular Patrick Roberts returning to Manchester City this summer, there is perhaps more pressure on James Forrest’s shoulders right now than at any other point in his Celtic career.
It’s easy to forget though that for large parts of last season, Forrest was Brendan Rodgers’ first pick in the right wing position, over Roberts himself. He was crucial to Celtic’s form in the early part of the season and showed remarkable progress that was actually on the verge of leaving the club after refusing to sign a new contract in the Ronny Deila-era.
He’s looked especially sharp in pre-season; fit and ripping defenders apart at will. He is going to be absolutely vital to this Celtic team over the coming qualifiers, not least because with the absence of Roberts, the Hoops have lost their leading man for assists last term.
Pace and the ability to go past a man has never been a problem for Forrest but it’s all about whether he can improve in his decision making and key chance creation.
Opposition teams are likely to focus on Scott Sinclair and with the spotlight on him, we’re backing the Scotland international to find space of his own and really punish teams.
Jozo Simunovic
Celtic’s qualifying campaign last season was dogged by injury problems in defence with the unlikely pairing of Efe Ambrose and Eoghan O’Connell even having to start matches. Jozo Simunovic didn’t feature in any of those games last summer. Going into this campaign, he is regarded as the Hoops’ best central defender by a distance.
His role has taken on new importance with the recent injury to Dedryck Boyata and fans will be looking to the Croatian to be the defensive rock they know he can be amidst question marks around the quality of his likely partner Erik Sviatchenko.
The giant defender has shown remarkable consistency, aggression and composure in his time at Celtic, especially across last season, but it’s time to show that he can replicated that on the European stage. If the Hoops are to make the group stages then you’d expect Simunovic to be a stand-out along the way.
Moussa Dembele
Since emerging onto the European scene last Autumn, Moussa Dembele’s reputation has preceded him. He’s now well known as being Celtic’s most valuable property and arguably their best player. On his day he has been unplayable in the Scottish Premiership.
With injuries impacting on the second half of the season, it feels like a while since Dembele had a truly massive moment in a Celtic shirt, especially so considering there were so many in the early part of the season.
Now though, he’s fit and ready to play a huge role in Celtic’s qualifying campaign. He’s looked sharp with his first touch and finishing in pre-season and looks hungry to add to the five European goals he has already netted for the Hoops.
He’ll be the man to punish Linfield and is a good contender for being the side’s most important player throughout the summer.