Ex-Celtic star Sviatchenko urges Midtjylland to be ruthless against Hoops rookies
ERIK SVIATCHENKO has urged Midtjylland to be ruthless against Celtic's defensive rookies.
The Danes' captain hopes their firepower will be too much for Stephen Welsh and Dane Murray.
Ex-Celt Sviatchenko saw Saturday's 6-2 thumping against West Ham and is convinced Midtjylland can pull off a Champions League win.
He said: "Our attackers have a lot more experience than those two guys in the Celtic defence.
"So I hope, and I know, that if they play to their level then they will be a handful.
"We need to deal with pressure and then be ruthless in the chances we get, as well as looking at set-pieces.
"Of course with young players, sometimes they can produce a performance out of nothing.
"Sometimes they can play a really good game so we need to have in mind that it might click, and it might not.
"They are two young prospects. I know Welsh from my time there and he has been fantastic.
"But hopefully he is less fantastic against us.
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"We are confident that we can deliver a win. When we play at our highest level, we know that we can do it.
"But of course it's going to be a tight game, as we saw in Glasgow.
"Celtic probably had more of the ball but we need to be comfortable in those phases."
Midtjylland boss Bo Henriksen is adamant his team will score in Denmark.
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His face lit up as he discussed Celtic's 6-2 defeat at the weekend.
And he also questioned whether Vasilis Barkas will keep his place after his first leg mistake.
He said: “Celtic were were up against a fabulous team on Saturday but they also have some issues.
"They have only played the one competitive game against us so far but it’s clear that they have some differences.
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"They have some problems and we need to try and use that.
"When you let in six goals then everyone can see that there are things which can be a little better.
“I don't know what goalkeeper they will bring, but if we do what we know we can do then I think we’ll have a fair chance.
“Obviously, we have seen all their games and we will do everything we can to find their weak spots."
"But I’m not going to discuss them publicly. We’ll keep that behind closed doors in Midtjylland.
"Hopefully, we can surprise them a little bit and see if it’s possible to exploit those weak spots we have seen.
"They have had defensive problems as well so I am convinced that we will score.
"Hopefully, that will be enough to secure the victory.
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"Overall, the tie is balanced. I said after the first leg that this will be a 50-50 game between two good teams.
"The situation is unchanged in many ways but it’s on our own pitch and I think we will go out and produce a fantastic match.
"Both teams will do everything to win but we obviously hope and believe that we will win.
“I don’t think Celtic can do anything other than attack us.
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"We’ve seen all their games, even the friendlies, and that’s what they do. We’ve prepared for that."
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