Celtic v Arsenal preview

18 August 2009 09:36
Celtic host Arsenal in a battle of Britain as the duo contest the first leg of their UEFA Champions League play-off round tie, live on Sky Sports 2 & HD2. SPL giants Celtic were drawn against their Premier League counterparts earlier in August and an engaging opening clash is expected at Parkhead on Tuesday night. Celtic booked their place in the final round prior to the coveted group stage after they battled for a 2-1 aggregate win over Dinamo Moscow. The Hoops, now under the stewardship of Tony Mowbray, boast an impressive home record against English opposition having lost only once before - versus Nottingham Forest in the 1983/84 season. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, though, is confident his relatively young side will cope with what is likely to be an intimidating atmosphere in Glasgow. Wenger met Mowbray twice last season, when the latter was in charge of West Brom, and recorded two Premier League triumphs that helped his side finish fourth and achieve Champions League qualification. Team news Mowbray has fitness concerns over Glenn Loovens and Shaun Maloney ahead of the fixture. Dutch defender Loovens was replaced after 50 minutes of Saturday's 3-1 league win at Aberdeen with a niggling knee injury while Maloney limped off near the end with a knock. Gary Caldwell will return to the Hoops defence after being suspended for the trip to Pittodrie. For the Gunners, Arsene Wenger has injury doubts over Bacary Sagna, Cesc Fabregas and Denilson. Sagna took a knock in Saturday's 6-1 win over Everton while Denilson (groin) and Fabregas (hamstring) will also be assessed on Tuesday, although Wenger feels the Spaniard has a better than 50-50 chance of playing. Midfielder Abou Diaby has recovered from a groin injury but England forward Theo Walcott is still out with a back complaint and defender Johan Djourou (knee) remains on the sidelines.

Source: SKY_Sports