John Hartson has outlined what Celtic must do to progress in the Champions League after a disappointing draw at home in the first leg.
Hartson says that the Scottish side must put in “an almost perfect performance” when they face AEK Athens in Greece tomorrow night.
Bt studios tomorrow night for AEK Athens v Celtic.. it’s a tough one but we have to go there and put in an almost perfect performance.. ???@btsportfootball
— John Hartson (@JohnHartson10) August 13, 2018
Celtic dominated the Greek side at Celtic Park but only managed to score once against a side who played half an hour with only 10 men after Konstantinos Galanopoulos was sent off.
OPINION
John Hartson has hit the nail on the head with his comment on what Celtic must do to get past AEK Athens, because against 11 men for 90 minutes The Hoops will need to put in an outstanding performance to come away from Greece with a win. The Greek side will set up to defend, knowing a 0-0 draw will see them through, so Celtic’s attack will need to be on top form to penetrate the wall of defenders. Celtic will likely have a lot of the ball but doing something with all that possession is a different story – if the midfield is not putting in the performance of their lives then the Scottish side will never break down the Greek sides defence and the likes of Rogic and Griffiths will be left isolated and ineffective. The Champions League is where Celtic need to start performing and proving they belong with the best of Europe. The SPL no longer drives those at Celtic Park with their side being far and away the best side in the country, so for Celtic to push on they must at least reach the group stages of the Champions League, any less and their season is almost over before it began.