European nights: A trip to the Netherlands for Celtic
Image by Jeroen Bentvelzen via Unsplash
By Louisa Gavin
Celtic interim boss Matin O’Neill is reportedly set to take charge of his last fixture for Celtic this evening, as they take on Feyenoord at the notorious De Kuip.
This is a massive tie for both teams, as both look to improve their under-par performances in Europe so far this season.
The build-up to this game has been tampered by the news of the new incoming Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy, who is expected to be announced in the next few days.
However, this cannot take away from the importance of a victory for both sides. Despite their stellar form in the Eredivisie this campaign, Feyenoord have disappointed in the league phase of the Europa League. They have lost three of their last four in the competition and sit in 29th place.
Feyenoord in their Europa League loss against VfB Stuttgart via Getty Images
Celtic also currently sit outside of the qualifying spots and are desperate to win all three points to give themselves a fighting chance to still make it to the knockout stages of the competition. Celtic have had a disastrous time in Europe, winning only one of their last four. Yet, Celtic domestically have been in top form as of late. They have won four of their last five including a vital win over fierce rivals Rangers.
This will make for an interesting watch, as both teams are in similar positions both in terms of the table and how they are performing in their respective leagues.
Both teams have large injury lists heading into this fixture, if Celtic are to win then they will have to keep Feyenoord's attacking line quiet. This could be a tough task as they have a total of 32 goal contributions so far this season.
Celtic in their Europa League loss against FC Midtjyland via Getty Images
In terms of their last fixture, Van Persie's boys fell to a 4-2 defeat at home to NEC Nijmegen. This is not the results that are warranted when chasing league leaders PSV Eindhoven.
Celtic won 1-0 in the most dramatic of fashion against St Mirren at the weekend thanks to a last-minute winner from skipper Callum McGregor. The glorious strike seemed to cover up some of the cracks as Celtic weren't at their best in the game and were fortunate to come away from Paisley with all three points.
Tonight's game will kick off at 5.45pm in Rotterdam, while being shown live on TNT Sports 3.