Livingston manager David Martindale believes the transition from Champions League atmosphere to a domestic match on Livingston’s plastic pitch could pose challenges for Celtic’s latest recruits.
The Livingston boss made these comments in the wake of Celtic’s 2-0 loss to Feyenoord in a packed De Kuip stadium in the Netherlands.
While Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic will enjoy the support of 8,000 of their own fans at Tony Macaroni Arena this Saturday, Martindale pointed out that the buzz of European competition differs sharply from the reality of Scottish domestic football. [RecordSport]
“There is a mental energy, mental fatigue, not just the physical side of it after playing in Europe. You have to try and use every advantage you can. I thought the atmosphere was brilliant, it’s a stadium I’ve never been at but it was a brilliant stadium, hostile environment, Champions League tune – it’s hard not to get yourself up for those games – even as a fan sitting watching it it’s brilliant.
“Let’s be honest, the synthetic surface, we all want to play on hybrid surfaces of course we do, you have to try and use all these advantage, positives in our favour. When you go away to Parkhead, the surface is slick, 55,000 fans and it’s a big park. The use that to their advantage and we have to try and swing that round to our advantage.”
He singled out Celtic’s newest additions — Luis Palma, Odin Holm, and Gustaf Lagerbielke — as players who may not yet be acclimatised to the idiosyncrasies of Scottish football, particularly the synthetic pitch at Tony Macaroni Arena.
“There’s players at Celtic who have not played here before, the boy (Luis) Palma, (Odin) Holm, (Gustaf) Lagerbielke, they are leaving Feyenoord and that environment and coming to Livingston on Saturday. Although they will be helped by 8,000 Celtic fans being in the stadium so it will feel like a home game to them.”
Celtic’s Odin Thiago Holm is shown a red card by referee Irfan Peljto REUTERS/Piroschka Van De Wouw
Celtic always found it tough to visit Livingston during Rodgers’ first spell in charge, but have had some joy in recent years.
It’s going to be a challenging match for the Hoops, but they should have more than enough quality to get over the line.
