Charlie Nicholas has predicted Valencia will win 1-0 when they host Celtic in the Europa League on Thursday.
The La Liga side are set to welcome the Hoops to the Mestalla for the second leg of their round of 32 clash and go into the match with the score 2-0 in their favour after the first leg.
Nicholas believes that with Celtic’s chances of progressing look slim, he believes Rodgers’ mindset could see him distracted by his side’s next league fixtures.
“There’s not too much hope for Celtic. I think it’s about sitting back and hoping they get chances. I tipped Celtic to win the first leg but it was my heart over my head. Valencia don’t score a lot of goals, they don’t destroy you, but I think they will win this and Celtic will be out,” wrote the pundit for Sky Sports.
“The way that Valencia manipulated the game in the first leg tells you the reality of where Celtic are in Europe. I wouldn’t even be surprised if Brendan Rodgers makes a few changes as they have Motherwell at home at the weekend and then they go to Hearts which is a really tough match. Brendan might already be thinking about the domestic games.”
OPINION
It’s no surprise Nicholas is so pessimistic about Celtic’s chances of overcoming Valencia in Spain as their performance in the first leg appeared to kill any hope there was for them in the Europa League this season. Rodgers’ side slumped to a 2-0 defeat courtesy of the Spanish giants and didn’t overly cause them any problems. In fact Valencia looked so comfortable in the first leg, they probably have room to improve in the second leg and that should be a worrying thought for the Hoops. While Nicholas believes Rodgers could rest players and opt to prioritise the side’s league fixtures now that the odds are against them in the Europa League, surely that won’t be the case? After Rangers and Aberdeen dropped points, with Celtic defeating Kilmarnock 1-0 last weekend, the Hoops sit eight points clear at the top of the table and can afford to risk their players in a last-ditch attempt to bypass Valencia.