Zenit St Petersburg manager Roberto Mancini is confident that his side are ready to face Celtic in the Europa League and shared that he thought Moussa Dembele was the Hoops’ main threat.
Celtic are set to face the Russian giants in the Europa League on Thursday at Celtic Park, and Mancini is confident that after several scouting missions he knows what the Bhoys have to offer.
“I like Dembele as a player, I knew about him when he was at Fulham,” revealed the Zenit manager, as quoted by the Scottish Sun.
“He’s still young, but he’s a good player, he needs to improve, but he will, I expect him to be Celtic’s main threat on Thursday.
“My assistant Angelo Gregucci went to Scotland and watched several Celtic games.
“So in terms of preparing for them we know about Celtic, and I can say we are ready for them.”
Dembele has not been at his best this season with the 21-year-old only grabbing nine goals in 25 appearances across all competitions, averaging a goal every 153 minutes.
This is significantly worse than last season when he averaged a goal every 103 minutes, ending the season with 32 goals in 49 appearances.
Dembele is likely to start Thursday game with Leigh Griffiths currently sidelined with a calf injury, which he sustained during the 1-0 win over Kilmarnock last month.
OPINION
Dembele certainly has the ability to cause Zenit problem, but he hasn’t been his usual self this season. The 21-year-old really needs to step up his game on Thursday and be the player he was last season for the Hoops. Celtic are in for a difficult game and it would be a major help to them if Dembele was able to fire on his cylinders, especially with Griffiths unavailable due to injury. The centre-forward was linked with a move away from Celtic in January and if he wants to depart the club, performing on Thursday could help his cause. If Dembele is able to deliver in the Europa League for Celtic against a hard opponent like Zenit, then he’ll certainly put some clubs on notice ahead of the summer.