John Kennedy would love to see his youth side recreate the spirit of Manchester for tonight’s Next Gen clash with Aston Villa.
Eleven months ago Celtic headed south to face Manchester City on the back of a home defeat from Barcelona.
Ninety minutes of exceptional football later and Celtic had recorded a 4-2 win over the English side with outstanding performances throughout the team.
Six of that side have gone on to make their first team debut with Tony Watt, Filip Twardzik and Dylan McGeouch firmly in Neil Lennon’s plans.
“The boys are well prepared and can’t wait for the game to get started,” Kennedy stated.
“The Scotland v England rivalry is always there in these type of games. Sometimes people look down on our football compared to the Premiership but we want to show that there is quality in Scotland and at Celtic.
“We are more than capable of travelling to England to compete. Last season we beat a top side in Man City and we want to try and do the same tonight against Villa.
“We’ll be positive and try to do the same playing our normal attacking game.”
Bahrudin Atajic was on the fringes of last season’s side but after a hat-trick last week against Dundee United the young striker is firmly in Kennedy’s plans.
“He’s been excellent this season,” the hoops coach added. “Bahrudin has played four games in the league and scored seven goals. At any level you can’t knock that and have to take notice.
“As coaches we’ve had a real discussion about the team to win the game and Bahrudin certainly comes into contention.”
Kennedy added: “This competition is great for everyone involved. It’s hard to pick anything negative about the Next Gen Series. It’s run and put together very professionally, everything is positive and created to enhance our players.
“It’s a mini Champions League and we’re all taking a lot from being involved, it’s a vital part of player development.”
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