I’d like a crack at Rosenborg, says Keohane
Cork City midfielder Jimmy Keohane hopes to spurn the chance to face Celtic in a “glamour” Europa League tie as he believes the League of Ireland champions can instead cause an upset by knocking Rosenborg out of the competition.
Celtic face the Norwegian champions in Trondheim with a 3-1 advantage in tonight’s Champions League second leg, with the losers slipping into the Europa League to face Cork City on August 9 and 16.
Around 4,500 tickets have already been sold for City’s clash with Rosenborg or Celtic, despite tickets only being on sale so far to season ticket holders and FORAS members.
Tickets for the Turner’s Cross first leg on August 9 go on general sale tomorrow.
While it’s expected the match at Turner’s Cross will sell out whoever the opponents, a visit to 7,000-capacity Turner’s Cross by Celtic would spark a ticket frenzy tomorrow.
And while some fans are hoping to see the Scottish champions travelling to Cork, Keohane has a very different outlook.
Celtic is the glamour tie but if we get Rosenborg, we’ve got to fancy our chances that we can put it up to them,” said the Wexford man.
“The objective is to go as far as we can in Europe and I suppose we’d have a fair chance against Rosenborg so I’d like to take them really.”
Cork boss John Caulfield expects Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic side to advance to face AEK Athens in the Champions League but says his focus is elsewhere at the minute, as he prepares his City side for a SSE Airtricity Premier Division trip to Waterford.
We’ve people out there (in Trondheim), and no different to the Legia Warsaw game we’ve all that work and insight which we will go through at the weekend. That’s the plan.
“I’d expect Celtic to go through with that 3-1 first leg scoreline. But Rosenborg are proven, they have had incredible results in the Champions League over 10 years and are always there,so when the matches come around, we have to be ready.
“We’ll do all our work after the weekend but at the moment I’m just concerned about going to Waterford and to try get another three points.”
Dundalk went back top of the Premier Division after beating Bohemians at the weekend, but Friday’s match at the RSC is an opportunity for the Leesiders to go back to the top.
Cork City’s Champions League conquerors, Legia Warsaw, were reduced to nine men last night as they lost 2-1 on aggregate to Slovakia’s Spartak Trnava, despite a 1-0 away win last night. Legia now drop into the Europa League.
