Lennon says Celts want to put on a show
Celtic midfielder Neil Lennon admits his team-mates are determined to show they are better than their first show against Blackburn Rovers.
The Scottish champions were criticised after being fortunate to win the first leg of the second round UEFA Cup tie 1-0 courtesy of a Henrik Larsson goal.
Now Celtic are in a good position to advance and Lennon is confident they will be much improved at Ewood Park tonight.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” said Lennon. “It’s not just an important game for the club and the fans. It’s important for the players as well.
“You do want to put on a performance because we were disappointed coming away from the first game, but I suppose that’s a good thing.
“We came away disappointed after winning 1-0. We know we can play a lot better.
“We could still take a lot of positives out of the game especially that we kept a clean sheet and were still in the tie. Only big Rab (Robert Douglas) was exempt from any criticism.
“But it will definitely be different this time.
“We didn’t do ourselves justice in the first game, but we will be ready tonight and will be better equipped to deal with them.”
The former Northern Ireland international is also confident they will not throw away the lead as they did to FC Basle in the Champions League qualifier.
They took a 3-1 lead to Switzerland, but ended up missing out on the money-spinning group stages after a heartbreaking 2-0 defeat.
He added: “It’s going to be totally different here because these are more familiar surroundings and we won’t be scared. This is a typical British game.”
But Lennon admits his side will be in for a terrifying night, as he rates the strike partnership of Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole as the best in the business.
“Their two front men are as good as any over the last three or four years so it’s going to be a real test for us. Damien Duff gives them a bit extra .”
Celtic manager Martin O’Neill will choose between John Hartson and Chris Sutton as a strike partner for Henrik Larsson. Both scored in the weekend victory at Tannadice.
O’Neill said: “The three of them are top quality players and obviously everyone at Blackburn will know all about Chris Sutton from his time here.
“He won the championship with them and played in the Champions League so he is a quality player.
“John Hartson is scoring goals for fun at the moment and he also scored goals for fun down there as well. He is capable of scoring goals anywhere.
“Henrik is simply Henrik and is also capable of scoring goals from anywhere so my job is difficult, but it is a good dilemma to have.”
