Celtic’s Champions League opponents KR Reykjavik crashed to a surprise 2-0 defeat away to bottom of the table Thor tonight.
Runar Kristinsson’s side may have had one eye on Tuesday’s visit from Celtic but tonight’s defeat is a big blow in their hopes of defending the title. The defeat brought to an end a run of five straight victories.
With a game more played KR trail leaders HR by five points and are also three points behind Stjarnan, who face Motherwell next week in a Europa League qualifier.
Thor went into the match with just five points from ten matches but didn’t hold back- taking the lead one minute before the interval through Armann Petur. Midway through the second half Shawn Nicklaw doubled the lead with KR unable to get back into the match.
Celtic complete their pre-season tour of Austria tomorrow against Dukla Prague with Deila likely to pick a side close to the one that he’ll use in Iceland.
After finding out the draw for the Champions League the Norwegian said: “They are in the middle of their season so it’s possible for us to be very prepared ahead of the game. We will do everything we can with analysis and also there is a chance to watch them as well. We’re going to be prepared for when the match comes around.
“It’s not possible to play a game there (Murrayfield) beforehand but that’s okay. We will play four matches in Austria and get good preparation there. Hopefully then we will play on the Wednesday to get more time from the last game to the Champions League match.”
