Source: Daily_Mail
Come on feel the noise: But Wenger insists his players can silence Celtic
Question: How can a team without a single player from the British Isles learn to appreciate the true meaning the Anglo-Scottish rivalry? Answer: Send them to Celtic Park on a European night.
That's Arsene Wenger's thinking anyway. For the likes of Andrey Arshavin and Thomas Vermaelen, this cross-border skirmish will amount to a crash course in the local history of two rather unfriendly neighbours.
'They will understand very quickly, do not worry,' smiled Wenger, ahead of the first leg of Arsenal's Champions League play off against Celtic.
Tony Mowbray was busy last night urging the "Celtic Family" to join forces and generate the atmosphere required if his team are to overcome the odds and beat Arsenal, in the way AC Milan and Barcelona have been humbled in recent years at their Parkhead fortress.
'This place is a bit special,' said Mowbray. 'I've managed in the Premier League, where the atmosphere is one of the best in the world, but this club just takes it a little step further than any Premier League club. This place is a Mecca to the supporters and it's important we give them something to feel good about, something to shout about.'
Just for good measure, a few miles down the road, U2 will be whipping up a bit more republican sentiment among the Scots tonight with their sell-out concert at Hampden Park.
Wenger has never played a competitive game in Scotland. The last time he was here, he was working for TV when France lost a qualifier for Euro 2008. He did not realise it has been nearly 26 years since an English team, Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest, had beaten Celtic on their own turf.
He can look back though with satisfaction on the way his Gunners silenced Fenerbahce's riotous fans with a 5-2 win in the Sukru Saracolglu, 10 months ago.
'The atmosphere is always heated in Scotland and we expect that,' said Wenger. 'But we have been all over Europe and we know that what matters is how well we play. We can keep the atmosphere very low key.'
Scottish football has been drowning in critical self-analysis since a series of poor results for clubs in the Europa League and a 4-0drubbing for George Burley's national team in Norway last week, but Wenger arrived with a diplomatic massage that Rangers and Celtic were a very different proposition to the rest of the country.
Mowbray would agree. 'Don't portray our team as poor boys looking in awe at the Premier League,' said the new Celtic boss. 'We've had some pretty good results in Europe against teams like AC Milan and Barcelona. We've earned the right to take them on in this contest.
'We are a Champions League club in our own right. We've done very well in European competition in recent years and hopefully over the next few years we can surpass it. There are players in our club who could give a good account of themselves in the upper echelons of the Premier League.'
Celtic started their season with a 3-1 win at Aberdeen but it did not catch the eye quite like Arsenal's 6-1 win at Everton. The Gunners are huge favourites after that result and with suggestions that team spirit is soaring since Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure left for Manchester City.
'We have a united spirit,' said Wenger. "But you have to take care of that because it is as fragile as the weather in England. Quickly cloudy. When you have no attitude or spirit, you have no results and, when you have results, you can lose it quickly.'
The Arsenal manager insists he did not want to lose Adebayor but the Togo striker was not a popular figure in the dressing room. Toure spent a large part of last season in a simmering feud with his central defensive partner, William Gallas.
On the pitch, Adebayor's exit may have given Wenger another edge, with Mowbray claiming his scouts had reported Arsenal trying to press their opponents higher up the pitch this season. For all Adebayor's talents, he has never been one to chase down the full-backs.
'You wouldn't normally talk about Arsenal like that," said the Celtic boss. "You'd talk about their silky passing and movement but maybe Arsene Wenger has done work on that over the summer.'
Mowbray is considering a plan to pack his midfield with an extra man to match Arsenal's expected formation. 'There's a cunning plan but it's only a cunning plan if you win,' he grinned. 'If not, it's something to be beaten around the head with.'
Arsenal travelled to Glasgow without Theo Walcott, who pulled out of training on Monday feeling the side muscle problem which forced him to miss England's friendly in Holland last week and the win at Everton.
'The injury happened before he went away with England,' said Wenger.' They didn't send him back because they thought it would be possible for him to play two days later but he has had a test and it was not positive at all. He had to stop training.'
Cesc Fabregas, Denilson and Bacary Sagna are all carrying knocks buthope to be fit for their 90-minute lesson about Scotland v England.
Celtic (4-2-3-1): Boruc; Hinkel, Loovens, Caldwell, Fox; Donati, NGuemo; McGeady, S.Brown, Maloney; McDonald.
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Almunia; Sagna, Gallas, Vermaelen, Clichy; Song, Denilson; Bendtner, Fabregas, Arshavin; Van Persie.
Referee: Massimo Busacca (Switzerland)
