Georgios Samaras: 'There weren't many people who believed in us in the qualifying rounds . . .'

Chief football writer

Wednesday 6 March 2013

WHEN Georgios Samaras took his seat to watch Celtic take on Juventus, he did not realise it would amount to having a ringside seat at the wrestling.

Georgios Samaras will start in Turin

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Michael Grant

Samaras wasn't fit to play any part in the first leg but sympathy, rather than regret, filled his mind as he watched the game.

It wasn't easy to see his team-mates shoved, held, jostled and manhandled by Juventus's defenders every time there was a corner or free-kick into their penalty area. Spanish referee Alberto Mallenco thought none of it worthy of a penalty or a red card. The sense of injustice only deepened when it was later suggested that Gary Hooper and Celtic's other victims should have been more "clever", or "streetwise" against the Italians.

"There is nothing you can say and nothing you can do," said Samaras, who will start tonight's second leg. "The game Juventus played at set-pieces was a bit unfair. Hopefully this time the referee is going to see things more clearly. When someone is holding you or pushing you, how much more clever or how much stronger can you be? In every other situation the referee would probably give a free-kick, but a penalty? That part of the game was a bit unfair against us." Samaras said he was "ready, no problem" for the possibility of facing Giorgio Chiellini, the formidable Italian defender who also missed the first leg, although in Turin last night it was thought that the Serie A leaders may rest the 28-year-old because of a bruised ankle.Whoever Juventus select, it would be naive to think Samaras will not be jostled and manhandled, but he will have their respect. They are well aware of his remarkable record of having scored in every away tie Celtic have played this season: in Helsinki, Helsingborg, Moscow, Barcelona and Lisbon. He trotted out the line about not being interested in personal glory or recognition yesterday, but he praised the wider effort of the team as a whole in reaching the last 16."There weren't many people who believed in us in the qualifying rounds," he said. "When we played Helsingborgs and Helsinki, people didn't have great belief but we proved that we are a good team and that we can play great games at a great level. To be in the round of 16 is something special for us and for the club."When you have a good run in Europe you believe that will continue. We believe in ourselves; we have been together for three years with the same manager and hopefully that will continue next year. Don't forget we are a young team playing at a very high level. Going through the group stage we were against really difficult teams and that gives you confidence and experience for next year. In the Europa League last year we were a bit unlucky but it was a good step for the future."We don't give up. We aren't here for our holidays. If we can score the first goal, early, then no-one knows how the game will go. We want to press them high and try to create chances and hopefully this time we will score first. Greece didn't have great superstars when we won Euro 2004 but what Celtic has, like Greece, is good teamwork, and sometimes that can beat technique or speed. We proved that against Barcelona."We created a lot of chances in the first game, especially in the first half. We were a little bit unlucky that we didn't put the ball in the back of the net. There are a lot of records to go for, like being the first [Celtic] team to win in Italy, or having eight wins in Europe in one season. That is there for us to go for."

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Georgios Samaras: 'There weren't many people who believed in us in the qualifying rounds . . .'

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