Neil Lennon skipped Celtic’s 1-0 defeat from Norwich to get a first hand look at Champions League opponents HJK Helsinki.
The Finn’s were hardly at full stetch after taking a 7-0 lead to Iceland but it was still an invaluable exercise for the Celtic boss as he watched HJK win the return leg 2-1.
With HJK in mid-season Lennon knows that Celtic can afford a slow start next Wednesday if they are to crack the big time and return to the group stages of the Champions League.
“I’m glad I came to see them,” Lennon said. “They were 7-0 up so it was comfortable for them, but they look pretty solid and they have a bit of pace in wide areas.
“They will be tough opposition to crack. I know they made a few changes, but it’s always important to come and get a feel for the way they line up yourself.”
HJK are sitting second in the league two points behind leaders Inter Turka having lost 5 of their 18 matches.
On Sunday they travel to face Honka with the eyes of the Celtic scouting staff watching the action closely.
“Hopefully by Sunday we will have seen all their players in action,” the Celtic boss added. “I don’t want to give too much away, but on tonight’s evidence there are maybe some things we can work on and exploit.
“The main thing is they are 18 games into their season and we are still in pre-season so we have to be wary of that.”
There were a couple of shocks in last nights Champions League qualifiers.
F91 Dudelange of Luxemburg lost 4-3 away to Salzburg but knocked the Austrians out on away goals while Hapoel Kiryat Shmona put out MSK Zilina 2-1 on aggregate thanks to a 2-0 home win.
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