Celtic are in Europa League action this week and a former star has delivered a verdict on one opposition player.
Neil Lennon and his squad have travelled to Denmark to go through their final preparations for tomorrow night’s match at the Parken Stadium.
The home side have played just one competitive match since December, losing 1-0 to Superliga side Esbjerg last Friday night.
However, Celtic can’t be complacent heading into the encounter and have now been sent a warning about 34-year-old striker Dame N’Doye.
Rieper has described the veteran as a special, physical forward who can cause the Hoops all sorts of problems.
As quoted by The Daily Record, he said: “If N’Doye’s on fire he’s so good. He’s one of the best strikers ever to play football in Denmark.
“He left Copenhagen for a couple of years but came back and has been fantastic. He’s a big guy who can hold the ball up and score from any area. He’s a good player who works so hard for the team.
“If Celtic can keep him quiet it will be key for them in this tie. If they can do it Celtic will have a very good chance of progressing. If they can’t cope with N’Doye they will struggle.”
N’Doye has netted just nine goals this season but his career record both at Copenhagen and in European competition is pretty impressive.
He’s netted 21 goals in 61 European matches during spells at the Danish side, Panathinaikos and Lokomotiv Moscow (Transfermarkt).
In total for Copenhagen, he’s scored 115 goals in 213 matches, also assisting 44 times (Transfermarkt).
It’s a record that suggests he’ll certainly be a handful for Lennon’s defensive line tomorrow night.
After selling top-scorer Pieros Sotiriou to Astana prior to the match (The Daily Record), the responsibility will certainly be on the Senegal international’s shoulders to deliver.
However, Celtic can feel confident having defenders such as Christopher Jullien available to counteract that threat.
It’s shaping up to be an entertaining tussle. Can the Scottish champions pick up a positive result?
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