Forward Planning

Neil Lennon on the Hoops’ Estonian opposition, the talent within his squad and the Celtic FC Festival

- Tony Connelly

HAVING successfully negotiated the first qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, Neil Lennon’s side have to go again this week as they look to conquer the Estonian champions, Nomme Kalju.

Back-to-back wins over FK Sarajevo gave Celtic a 5-2 aggregate win over the Bosnian side, and the Celtic manager was delighted with the early season showing from his side.

“We beat a good team,” said Neil Lennon in an exclusive interview with the Celtic View. “In the end, the lads made it look a lot easier than it was so I’m delighted. We won 2-1 on the night at Celtic Park but I think the scoreline flattered Sarajevo, I thought we were far superior.

“It’s still relatively early on in the season, so there are aspects we still need to build on, but fitness-wise and football-wise, there were a lot of good things to come out of the game.

“It’s important to get a good start, especially with the games coming so soon after one another. There’s no time for a lull so the players can go into the next round refreshed but confident in what they’ve achieved so far. Looking back over the two legs, I think it’s a good start and I expect us to build on that now because the games will get tougher, starting with Nomme Kalju.”

Having conceded a goal in each of the ties against FK Sarajevo, Neil Lennon said those goals serve as a stark reminder of the dangers when coming up against unknown and highly-motivated opposition. That forewarning will be important this week as Celtic come up against a side who have already upset the odds in qualifying this season.