‘No pressure’ on Celtic as Neil Lennon throws off shackles for Udinese trip

CELTIC manager Neil Lennon will urge his players to have a sense of adventure as they seek an unprecedented success on Italian soil tomorrow night.

Only victory against Udinese at the Stadio Friuli will be good enough for Celtic to claim a place in the last 32 of the Europa League at the expense of their highly-regarded hosts in the final round of scheduled Group I fixtures.

It leaves Lennon with little option but to approach the match with a positive tactical mindset. Given Celtic’s record in Italy, where they have lost six and drawn two of their previous European away matches, he believes his team can afford to adopt a carefree attitude against the Serie A high fliers.

“We are going to be up against a top-class side, but it is a game to enjoy,” insisted Lennon. “There is no pressure on the players, really. I don’t think the expectation level is great but we will be dangerous. We do have to win it, a draw or a defeat is no good to us. We have to be very respectful of the opposition who are obviously an excellent side. They play a different formation to what we are accustomed to.

“I think we can set up to be a little bit more adventurous with our own approach. The pressure is off and the players can go and hopefully express themselves and do the club justice.”

Setting aside Celtic’s historical failure to win in Italy, the standards set by Udinese so far this season provide enough of a warning on their own of how daunting an assignment it is for Lennon’s men. The club from the north-eastern tip of Italy are currently level on points with Juventus at the top of Serie A, in second spot on goal difference and two points ahead of third-placed AC Milan.

Udinese have lost just two of their 14 league fixtures to date and it is their home record which underlines most clearly how much of an achievement it would be for Celtic to triumph tomorrow. Francesco Guidolin’s team have won all seven of their Serie A matches at the 41,600-capacity Friuli, conceding only two goals in the process. They have also won both of their previous Europa League home games, defeating Rennes 2-1 and Atletico Madrid 2-0.

Udinese’s only home defeat this season came against Arsenal in August when they lost 2-1 to Arsene Wenger’s side in the second leg of their Champions League Play-Off round tie. “I watched them play Arsenal and thought they were very, very unfortunate not to beat them,” added Lennon. “They missed a penalty in the second leg in Italy after taking the lead. So, they are a very dangerous team. They are very strong in midfield. They have great strength, athleticism and quality – and counter-attack very quickly.”

It remains to be seen if Celtic will have to face Antonio Di Natale, the Udinese captain who leads the Serie A scoring chart again this season. The 34-year-old striker has made just one Europa League appearance in the current campaign, coach Guidolin generally preferring to rest him for league matches. But Lennon expects Udinese, who need only a draw to qualify, to field a strong side as they look to join heavyweight clubs such as Manchester United, Manchester City, Valencia, Porto and Ajax in the next stage of the Europa League.

“I would imagine they would want to get through to the knockout round, especially when you look at the clubs already in the last 32,” said Lennon. “I am sure their main priority is the Serie A title but they have been an excellent team for the last three or four years and have built up a very formidable squad.” None of the Udinese players have impressed Lennon more than the man who will represent a formidable barrier to Celtic’s hopes of upsetting the odds with a victory tomorrow, Slovenian international goalkeeper Samir Handanovic. “They have a brilliant goalkeeper, I think he is one of the best in the world,” added Lennon.

“I remember him from the last World Cup for Slovenia when he was fantastic, and he pulled off three or four unbelievable saves against us at Celtic Park in our home game against Udinese. He gives a great foundation for them to build on and with people like Di Natale in the team, there is always a goal threat at the other end. They are very well-organised but skilful into the bargain.” Elimination from the Europa League will clearly not be regarded as a calamity by Lennon, who continues to stress that his pursuit of the SPL title must take precedence this season.

“Our priority is obviously the domestic front, and last Saturday’s 1-0 win over Hearts will have done all the players the world of good in that respect,” he said. “We have an important game against St Johnstone at Perth on Sunday when we get back from Italy, but the dressing-room is buoyant. That’s six SPL wins in a row, and that takes a bit of doing. The clean sheets are totting up as well, which I am very pleased about.”