Manuel Pellegrini, the Villarreal coach, admits he could not care less about Celtic's dismal away form in Europe.

Manuel Pellegrini, the Villarreal coach, admits he could not care less about Celtic's dismal away form in Europe.

The most used statistic surrounding the Glasgow club's trip to Spain for the Group E Champions League match with Villarreal is that the Scottish champions have only picked up one point from a possible 45 in this stage of the competition.

In contrast, strong domestic form propels Villarreal into tonight's Champions League encounter with Celtic, while the Scots are looking to rebound from a poor start in the group stage with their first victory on Spanish soil.

Villarreal have not lost a competitive match since April - a run of 12 games - and opened with a 0-0 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford in Group E.

The Spaniards can also be encouraged by their unbeaten record against Scottish opponents. The La Liga runners-up eliminated Celtic from the UEFA Cup quarter-finals in 2004 and ousted Rangers on their way to the Champions League semi-finals, two years later.

Celtic's chances of qualifying for the last 16 of the competition for the third season in succession were dealt a blow when they could only draw against Danish club Aalborg BK in their group opener at Parkhead.

But Pellegrini has no interest in the plight of the Glasgow side although he insists that another defeat for Gordon Strachan's men tonight will not automatically see them fail to qualify for the knockout stages.

He said: "This is a problem for Gordon Strachan to overcome, it is not my concern. My concern is what we do in the game. We know we will have to play well to beat Celtic but we are confident we can do that.

"The mathematics of this competition are always complicated but we need to get 10 points and what- ever happens after the game against Celtic they will still have a fighting chance of qualifying."

Pellegrini, who guided his side to a creditable draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford, insists victory over Celtic will have no great bearing on his side's qualification chances.

The Chilean coach said: "The draw was all well and good against United, but we don't know what the scores will be in the games that follow it."

Santi Cazorla, Villarreal's exciting midfielder who is almost certain to face Celtic, is also unconcerned about the Parkhead club's need to end their dreadful away record in the competition.

The Spain internationalist said: "Of course Celtic want to win away from home and we all know that, but we want those points as well - and we will get them.

"I'm looking forward to a great atmosphere in El Madrigal, it's always good to play in the stadium but with all the Celtic fans there and the special relationship the two clubs have with each other then there will be an extra-special atmosphere."

Pellegrini confirmed that Nihat Kahveci, his Turkish striker, will miss the game through an injury he suffered against Sporting Gijon on Saturday night.

Pellegrini said: "Nihat is injured and he will probably be out for the next couple of weeks."