As a former Celtic and Slovakia ace, who better to ask than Lubo Moravcik in the build up to Wednesday night’s UEFA Champions League opener with Slovan Bratislava?
Celtic’s first game of an expanded group stage is also arguably their best chance to get three points on the board.
With Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Atalanta to come, a side ranked 61st in the official FIFA rankings may be ideal opposition for Brendan Rodgers’ side to kick off their campaign.
Though, while Celtic will be the favourites – especially at a raucous and sold-out Parkhead – Moravcik insists that The Hoops should take Slovan Bratislava lightly at their own risk.
This, after all, is a team with no shortage of height and physical power. They have experience too, in the shape of veteran Georgian Guram Kashia, former Tottenham defender Kevin Wimmer, Slovakia internationals Robert Mak and Juraj Kucka, plus captain and one-time Rangers winger Vladimir Weiss.
Celtic host Slovan Bratislava in Champions League opener
“Celtic do not have a lot of tall players,” Moravcik tells the Daily Record. “And Slovan Bratislava had a lot of good headers in their team.
“Slovan need to work out if that is an area that Celtic may be vulnerable.”
Celtic’s record in European competition – particularly the Champions League – leaves a lot to be desired.
The Hoops have finished bottom in each of their previous two group-stage campaigns. They have taken their fair share of beatings too, Atletico Madrid cruising to a 6-0 win just last season.
Celtic will need more from talismanic forward Kyogo Furuhashi – two in 12 competition games – if they are to stand any chance of improving on a dismal recent record this term.
Moravcik feels that Kyogo and his irrepressible fellow Japan international Daizen Maeda could be the difference between success and failure, with Celtic’s ability to press ferociously from the front likely to cash issues against a sluggish Slovan Bratislava backline.
Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda must be on top form
“Celtic will be the favourites and Slovan must be flawless to take anything from the game,” Moravcik, who watched Maeda and Nicolas Kuhn tear Hibs apart in August’s 3-1 victory.
“I was lucky enough to see Celtic’s cup game against Hibernian live three weeks ago. Hibs had a lot of big players and I thought they would cause Celtic problems, but Celtic were too aggressive in attack for them.
“Celtic have Daizen Maeda and Kyogo Furuhashi and they are both very fast. A tiny hesitation and they can take advantage of it. Celtic have a lot of very good technical players.
“Slovan must prepare for the fact they won’t be given a second’s moment of peace on the ball. This will be an incredible experience for them. Perhaps they might surprise everyone and steal a point from Celtic.
“But it will be very, very difficult to do that.”
Celtic, of course, will be without the departed Matt O’Riley. Their key creator and the sort of game-breaking talent who can carve open even superior sides with one swing of his scalpel-like left boot.
But Rodgers does still have Kyogo, Kuhn, James Forrest, an in-form Paulo Bernardo, and new record signing Arne Engels.
Given that Celtic will be underdogs for most of their ties, the relentless running power and formidable work-rate of Maeda – a nightmare for any defender – could make him their biggest outball against the likes of Dortmund and Atalanta.
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