When I learned there was a high chance we could get Cliftonville FC, I crossed fingers and toes and hoped it would be so. Growing up in County Antrim and having relatives living on the terrace streets leading to Solitude, it is safe to assume I am also a Reds fan.I was there the last time Cliftonville played in the Champions League against FC Kosice in 98 which turned out to be an unfortunate 13-1 agg drubbing. The current Reds team are better than the 98 Reds team but we are also better the Kosice. The result might not be as one sided but this should be a comfortable home and away victory for us.
As stated though, this Cliftonville team are better, debatably even the best team to win the NIFL Premiership. They return pretty much the whole squad from last season with a couple of additions.
In Liam Boyce and Joe Gormley they have a 60 goal a season strike partnership who were not the only ones contributing goals as The Reds scored 3 or more in 24 games last season. They know where the net is. Defensively they are sound as well and have a lot of trust in Keeper Conor Devlin. He will have to be at his best in both games if they are to stand a chance.
For we are now entering our fourth European Campaign under Lennon. We have the core of the same team from then still at the club. An abundance of experience now. They have been tested under high pressure and won. Cliftonville will have never played against anything like us competitively before.
This is a completely different level for them. Last season they managed a brilliant win against professional Swedish team Kalmar at home 1-0 before lose 4-0 in the away leg. Around this same time we were beating the Swedish Champions 4-0 on AGG. That is the gulf.
People think our pre season form gives Cliftonville a chance. This comes down to peaking fitness. Our last season finished on May 26th and we had our first friendly barely 5 weeks later on July 3rd. Really not that much time to wind down and start to ramp up fitness again.
All this friendlies are geared towards fitness and trying to get the players as close to peak by tonight as possible. Results are meaningless. Last year we lost 3 and tied 1 of our first 5 friendlies including a 4-0 drubbing to Ajax and we turned out ok. It will be a different Celtic team tonight.
Another thing to consider as well. Teams from Northern Ireland do not do well in Europe. Crusaders and Glentoran have already been easily despatched. Linfield qualified for the next round and got a heroes welcome for being the first team to win home and away legs in Europe. They beat a team from the Faroes.
Now you can only beat what’s in front of you, but to go from delight of beating a team from the Faroes to thinking about a possible positive result against the Scottish Champions is a stretch.
This is football though, stranger things have happened and will happen again, just not this time. Be professional, job done.