Neil Lennon knows all about the poor away record Celtic have in Europe in recent years ahead of tonight's game against Udinese. Celtic have won only once in their last 32 games on the road in Europe - against Dinamo Moscow back in 2009 when Tony Mowbray was the manager.
Celtic have to win tonight in the Stadio Friuli to get through to the knockout stages of the Europa League in second place to Atletico Madrid in Group I. Lennon said: "Our record away from home has been a bugbear and there is no better time to break it than tonight.
"It is a daunting proposition for any team to come here but in that respect we know what we have to do. We are in good form, off the back of six wins in the league, and confidence is good. (In) each of the Europa games, there has been a natural progression, it is a young team who are learning all the time and we will treat it like a cup final. It is a great incentive and one that we are all looking forward to. Going into the campaign a lot of people would have made us the whipping boys but we are very pleased with the way the team have played in the previous five games." Lennon does not believe his side's recent form makes them favourites, though.
He went on: "To say that we are in with a chance of qualifying going into the last game is testament to the players and we are going to give it everything we have got. There is pressure in every game that Celtic are involved in and it will be no different. We will probably go in to the game as underdogs I would imagine but there will still be an expectation from our supporters to get a favourable result."
Udinese manager Francesco Guidolin may be playing mind games when he claimed he is still undecided as how strong a team to put out tonight. He was complaining about fixture congestion which sees them play Lazio on Sunday before they take on Juventus next Wednesday.
He said: "The three matches in six days are very important but I have to ask myself, why do we end up playing three games in such a short time, just six days? We will still think one (game) after the other but this is the second time it has happened to us, I don't think it has happened to other Italian teams this season. Obviously I am very proud of my players and what we have done. I just hope for more satisfaction in the next days. But you need to ask me about it on the 22nd, when we have played the three games."
Source: FOOTYMAD
