Lennon's Spartak questions
The Russian side appear to be in chaos but Lennon is too streetwise to be fooled into thinking that Celtic are in for anything other than a very demanding night.
After three home defeats on the bounce Spartak will probably be glad to get away from the Luzhniki Stadium
Spartak face an important league match against Rubin Kazan after meeting Celtic with the trip to Glasgow unlikely to be coach Valery Karpin’s priority.
“There are stories coming out about indiscipline and lack of team spirit, whether they’re true or not,” Lennon stated. “That comes from the results but they’re a good side. An excellent side.
“As a team, they’re a bit more flamboyant than Benfica who are more pragmatic and maybe better defensively. There’s a bit more flair and pace in this Spartak team although they do throw caution to the wind sometimes and leave themselves open.
“I think we have to be careful attacking-wise because Russian teams historically are excellent on the counter attack. They’ve got a lot of flair in the team and in [Emmanuel] Emenike they’ve got a goalscorer. [Emenike scored twice against Celtic in Moscow]. At the back, though, I don’t think it’s their strongest area.”
Lennon added: “They’re a dangerous team. Having watched them in Benfica they were unlucky not to get something out of the game. They created three or four decent chances and had they scored they would have won the game, so they’re no mugs.
“We have to make sure our set-up is right and play with the intensity we can, but make sure we’re mindful of our discipline in defence as well.”
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