Celtic players out to prove a point against Fenerbahce
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By their own high standards it’s been a relatively slow start to the 2015-16 campaign for Celtic but their top players are determined to make a bold statement when Fenerbahce arrive in the east end of Glasgow.
The Hoops are in Europa League action this week and a number of their stars have been pretty vocal about both the team’s goals and their own personal aims.
Defender Dedryck Boyata has recently been speaking to FourFourTwo about his desire to force his way into the Belgium squad.
“Thursday is a really big game and I want to play really well to make a statement,” he said.
“The Belgium squad is full of potential. It’s not easy to get into the team. But if I have the chance to get in, I want to say to myself that I did everything I could.”
And then there’s full-back Mikael Lustig. The Swedish international has warned his team-mates they must be more ruthless when big-spending Fener come to town.
He told the Daily Record: “In Europe, we won’t get as many chances as we did against Hearts.
“When chances come our way we need to score as we did against Ajax.
“We still need to try to stay positive. We did a lot of things well and we need to take them into Fenerbahce.
“I think the fact Fenerbahce lost the first group game means that they need a lot of attacking play and three points.”
Lustig was on the scoresheet in Celtic’s 2-2 draw in Amsterdam and is 13/2 to score anytime in this latest clash.
Tonight’s hosts were impressive against their Dutch counterparts in their Group A opener and are priced at 7/5 to collect their first three points of this Europa League campaign.
By contrast, their opponents were 3-1 losers away at Norwegian side Molde two weeks ago and the Yellow Canaries will still be smarting from their 3-2 loss to Besiktas last weekend.
That defeat in the Istanbul derby saw Fener surrender top spot in the Turkish Super Lig but before Hoops fans get too carried away it’s worth sounding a note of caution.
While they may not still be at their peak, the likes of former Manchester United stars Robin van Persie and Nani can certainly hurt the Scottish champions.
The former is the 5/1 joint-favourite to open the scoring alongside home hitman, Leigh Griffiths.
And with Ladbrokes’ Sharp Shooter offer now extended to cover British teams in European action you can get double those odds if you back a player to score first and they net in the opening 25 minutes!*
Plus, Celtic to win and both teams to score has also been boosted – was 7/2, NOW 9/2.
Head to Ladbrokes.com for loads more markets.
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