CELTIC’S fate is in their own hands. The Scottish champions will secure European football after Christmas if they avoid losing by three or more goals to visiting Anderlecht in their final Group B clash this evening.
Neither side managed to pick up any points in their meetings with Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, so the Hoops’ 3-0 win in Brussels at the end of September remains the only thing separating them at the foot of the table.
That setback has left the Belgians with it all to do at Parkhead but, as David Lamproye of Anderlecht’s largest fansite anderlecht-online.be explained, the visitors are likely to provide a far sterner challenge in Glasgow than they mustered on their own turf.
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Q: Are Anderlecht in a better position now than they were the last time they faced Celtic? How have things changed with the new manager?
A: “Yes. Under René Weiler the focus of the squad was on keeping the organisation and counter attacking whenever possible. Result-driven football that is.
“With Hein Vanhaezebrouck, the focus shifted to offensive football and keeping the ball in the team. These are two very different styles.
“The match against Bayern Munich of two weeks ago was a good example of this new philosophy. Anderlecht deserved more than the 1-2 defeat then. Unfortunately, it takes time changing between systems. So we'll see a totally different Anderlecht, but there is still a lot of work to be done.”
Q: Were you surprised by how comfortably Celtic beat Anderlecht in Belgium?
A: “Yes. First of all, I was not impressed by Celtic at all. But I was very disappointed in Anderlecht's weak performance.
“It was the third and last game under interim coach Frutos, who has left the club now. Frutos is a person with a lot of ambition, but he lacks experience coaching a club such as Anderlecht.
“In the first match against Celtic, he aligned a very experimental and unnatural team; very defensive. That won't be the case tomorrow.”
Q: How have Anderlecht fared in their games against PSG and Bayern Munich?
A: “The first half at home against PSG was decent. We could have scored once or twice. But overall, and especially in Paris, PSG proved to be a lot better.
“The home game against Bayern was actually very good. Anderlecht really had the better chances, and it drove the fans mad that they were all missed.
“The biggest problem at the moment for this team is efficiency. And that cost us three points against Bayern.”
Q: Is there confidence among supporters of the club that they can achieve the three-goal winning margin needed in Glasgow?
A: “No. There is confidence Anderlecht can win, but a three-goal margin is a lot. Therefore, the disappointment after the defeat against Bayern was large. With a draw or even a victory, chances would have been a lot larger to qualify for the Europa League.”
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Q: How big an incentive is a Europa League place for Anderlecht?
A: “I believe Anderlecht do not want to go out with 0 points, but since the defeat against Bayern, the Belgian league has priority for sure.
“The next two matches are against Charleroi (ranked second) and Bruges (ranked first). To have a chance of winning the title, the club needs at least 4 points out of 6.
“The gap with Bruges is now 7 points, but is divided by two in the play-off system. Keeping it at 7 points, is feasible for Anderlecht (3 points in play-off system, equal to just one match).”
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