Charlie Nicholas has predicted that Celtic will win 2-1 against Valencia in the Europa League on Thursday, but he admits that he is going with his heart and not his head.
The Bhoys welcome the Spanish side to Parkhead in the first leg of their round of 32 clash having qualified by the skin of their teeth from the group stages in December.
However Sky Sports pundit Nicholas believes that Brendan Rodgers’ men have what it takes to beat the La Liga club and has heaped praise on Valencia playmaker Daniel Parejo in his prediction this week.
“I am going with my heart over my head. Celtic do not convince you in Europe. There are two special places in Britain for European nights, Anfield and Celtic Park. These are the nights where there is an extra edge, the Celtic fans turn up for it. Valencia are eighth in La Liga and are a bit inconsistent going forward. They beat Manchester United at home and should have done away too,” Nicholas said on the Sky Sports website.
“Daniel Parejo is a creative and silky midfield player – Celtic must stop him. Valencia can rely on the defence and sit in. Celtic must take an advantage going back to Valencia. When I see Rodrigo and Kevin Gameiro, they have serious fire-power. This team is very good at counter-attack football. Celtic have to keep their heads and be patient for the right moments. If they can stop Parejo and be aggressive, then I can see something happening. Oliver Burke has been good and is scoring goals, so he could be in the thick of it, but I am not totally convinced in this one.”
OPINION
Nicholas has gone bold with his prediction here. Celtic could definitely get something against Valencia, who have drawn all three of their last three domestic fixtures – albeit one was against Barcelona. The Spanish club is not as powerful as it once was, but the Hoops will still need to be at their best to get themselves on the scoresheet. What Rodgers will be hoping for more than anything is a clean sheet. If the Bhoys can go to the Mestalla with the scores still level at 0-0 then they will stand a good chance of getting through on the away goal rule. Nicholas has talked up Burke going into the first leg but Celtic’s defence is going to be the deciding factor over the two ties. Dedryck Boyata and Jozo Simunovic are decent at the best of times, but they are also extremely prone to errors as well. If they can cut out the mistakes then maybe, just maybe, Celtic will go through to the next round.