Prospect of heavy defeat causing Celtic manager some anxiety

Chief football writer

Tuesday 23 October 2012

NEIL LENNON has admitted to being anxious about the possibility of an embarrassing defeat if Barcelona click and his Celtic team fail to cope in the cauldron of Camp Nou tonight.

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Michael Grant

Celtic are as confident as they will allow themselves to be after taking four points from their opening pair of Champions League Group G games, a home draw with Benfica and a startling away win against Spartak Moscow. Facing Barcelona away from home is an entirely different proposition, though, and the Celtic manager admitted to a certain trepidation after arriving in the Catalan capital yesterday afternoon.

Scott Brown and Kelvin Wilson are serious injury doubts for Celtic although the captain will be given every opportunity to play and is still expected to be in from the start against Lionel Messi, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and the rest of coach Tito Vilanova's remarkable team.Lennon avoided defeat in two visits to Camp Nou as a Celtic player but the prospect of a heavy loss, which Barcelona are capable of inflicting on even the most talented of opposition, has been a constant companion for him in recent weeks."Listen, they make great teams look ordinary," he said. "It's a totally different set-up for me as a coach. The normal instincts of the players will be curtailed. Not by choice, just by the sheer force of the players they are going to come up against. There is anxiety there. I've thought about nothing else."Watching Barcelona on DVDs, analysing them, looking at how other teams have set up: basically, they just peg you back. They have done that to Chelsea, Real Madrid: if they get a stranglehold on you, they don't let go. You are wary of being embarrassed. You don't want that. I certainly don't want that."Everyone says it's very exciting going there, but these guys [his players] have to go out and play against them. They have to be totally focused for 93 or 94 minutes and it won't be enjoyable at times. These guys [Barcelona] are baby-faced assassins. They will eat you alive if you give them half a chance. They will rip you to shreds. They come across as really nice guys, but they are absolute animals."I think it's better to play with a wee bit of fear, a wee bit of edge. It gets the adrenaline going quicker and it sharpens the mind, but not too much fear because that can overwhelm you to the point where your legs go and every time you're getting the ball, you're giving it away."Georgios Samaras, James Forrest and Kris Commons are fit for Celtic but Lennon will make late decisions on Brown and Wilson. "For what we will have to do in the game Broony would be perfect. But we have Joe Ledley, Biram Kayal and James Forrest who could come into the side which played against Spartak and they are all fit, so we have good options."Barcelona are without Carles Puyol, Dani Alves, Gerard Pique and Eric Abidal through injury, and Sergio Busquets through suspension. Marc Bartra could start in central defence.champions league Prospect of heavy defeat causing Celtic manager some anxiety

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Prospect of heavy defeat causing Celtic manager some anxiety

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