Scottish Premiership champions Celtic will face Romanian powerhouses CFR Cluj as they look to avoid a repeat of last year’s AEK Athens fiasco.
Celtic are set to take on CFR Cluj in the next round of their Champions League qualifying campaign. But while The Hoops might be confident of progressing, former Rangers defender Dorin Goian isn’t giving Neil Lennon’s side much of a chance against the Romanian giants, speaking to the Scottish Sun.
Celtic’s European record certainly leaves plenty to be desired in recent years.
They have suffered embarrassing defeats to the likes of Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain and their performances against less-than-elite opposition have often been similarly disastrous. Just last year, Celtic were knocked out of the Champions League at the qualifying stage by a limited AEK Athens side.
And Goian, who spent two years at Ibrox between 2011 and 2013, believes that history could be about to repeat itself when the Romanian’s come to town.
“Celtic isn’t a scary fixture for Cluj. Not at all. Cluj are capable of eliminating Celtic. Cluj have great players,” said the 60-time Romania international.
“Celtic might be a team with valuable players, a very big budget and impressive infrastructure. But their game consists of long balls and they have big problems when they face a well-organised defence.
“The counter-attack might be the secret weapon for Cluj. Celtic attack a lot, but they often leave room in defence. (Cluj) have a good chance to qualify.”
Celtic would be foolish to take Cluj lightly after cruising past Nomme Kaju 7-0 on aggregate. The Railwaymen have won each of the last two Romanian titles and their squad is made up of numerous established internationals, including ex-Aston Villa midfielder Yacouba Sylla.
One things for sure, Celtic cannot afford to repeat the mistakes they made last year when they collapsed against AEK.
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