MX23RW : Saturday, November 16 04:52:03| >> :120:43507:43507:
[monks data]
Attendance: 56,172
Celtic logo
Europa League | Group Stage
Oct 3, 2019 at 8pm UK
 
CFR Cluj

2-0

Edouard (20'), Elyounoussi (59')
FT(HT: 1-0)

Neil Lennon: 'Celtic in a better place to face Cluj now'

The Hoops were knocked out of the Champions League qualifiers by the Romanian outfit in August.

Neil Lennon believes Celtic are better equipped to deal with Cluj for the second time ahead of their Europa League clash on Thursday night.

The Hoops were knocked out of the Champions League qualifiers by the Romanian outfit on aggregate in August following a 4-3 home defeat.

Lennon expressed delight with his side's response to the setback which remains their only defeat in 18 matches this season, with their first Ladbrokes Premiership points of the campaign dropped by the leaders in the 1-1 draw against Hibernian at the weekend.

Ahead of the visit of Cluj to Parkhead, which follows the Hoops' 1-1 draw with Rennes in France in their Group E opener, the Celtic boss outlined his side's improvement.

He said: "We have good belief about ourselves now.

"There is decent cohesion and understanding, and of course players have got a lot of match rhythm and game time and a familiarity with the way we play.

"In that respect we are in a better place now maybe than we were then.

"We have made a super start to the season, whether it be domestically or in Europe, and I am delighted.

"I thought the performance in Rennes was excellent and we carried on in the same vein domestically.

"There is a new back four, more or less, a new goalkeeper and we have been on a good run since the Cluj match, more or less won every game apart from the weekend.

"I have been delighted with the reaction and style of play and the motivation that the players have.

"We are not taking Cluj lightly at all. We respect them and think they are a highly-motivated team who play a certain way that suits their style and they do it very well."

Cluj were subsequently knocked out of the Champions League qualifiers by Slavia Prague but opened their Europa League campaign with a 2-1 home win over Italian side Lazio.

The former Celtic skipper is happy for talk of redemption to swirl around the Cluj rematch but is keen for his players not to get too carried away.

"We know it was a game that got away from us and there is always an opportunity in football maybe to right a wrong, if you want to put it that way," said Lennon.

"Maybe a little bit of motivation for the players but the motivation is we have started the group well.

"We are at home and it is important to try to reinforce the home advantage when you can. You can use it as motivation as long as the players don't get too over emotional.

"It is the first home game in the group stage and we are very excited about it.

"Cluj are a good team. They have proved that since they played us. They were very close to knocking out Slavia and got a good result against Lazio.

"It is going to be a tough game but one that we are ready for."

ID:373677: cacheID:373677:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4149:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Dan Petrescu pictured in December 2013
Read Next:
In Focus: Celtic's Europa League opponents Cluj
>
Read more about Neil Lennon Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS

League Phase

TeamPWDLPTS
1Lazio440012
2Ajax431010
3Anderlecht431010
4Frankfurt431010
5Galatasaray431010
6Spurs43019
7FCSB43019
8Lyon42117
9Rangers42117
10Olympiacos42117
11Bodo/Glimt42117
12Midtjylland42117
13Ferencvaros42026
14Man Utd41306
15Plzen41306
16AZ42026
17Besiktas42026
18Hoffenheim41215
19Roma41215
20Fenerbahce41215
21Elfsborg41124
22Braga41124
23Porto41124
24Slavia Prague41124
25Real Sociedad41124
26Malmo41033
27FC Twente40313
28Qarabag41033
29Union SG40222
30Nice40222
31RFS40222
32Ludogorets40131
33PAOK40131
34Athletic Club00000
35M. Tel Aviv40040
36Dynamo Kiev40040


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!