Josip Juranovic has been talking up his Celtic teammate Daizen Maeda before their head to head on Monday afternoon.
Croatia will take on Japan in the last 16 of the World Cup. Only one of the Celts can progress to the quarter final and one will be heading home to join up with the bhoys sooner.
Speaking ahead of the game, Juranovic talked up Maeda’s ability.
“We play together at Celtic. I can’t wait to see him on the field to congratulate him.” The Croatian told Football Scotland. “Tomorrow we have an analysis, so the coach will tell us about all the Japanese players.
“Maeda is a team player, he will give his best no matter how long he plays. He is fast, aggressive, runs into space.
“We will see in the analysis. We have to focus on ourselves and see what we did wrong against Belgium and correct it and try to win. It is not important to stop only him, but the whole team.
“We have to be aggressive. Japan is quality, they play together. We will talk and analyse.”
The Hoops are set to return to action on December 17th, both players will be out of the match due to their participation in the World Cup. Celtic have earned a nine point lead over their Glasgow rivals before the break.
Juranovic’s days at Celtic could be numbered. The club confirmed the signing of Alistair Johnston at the weekend. Johnston plays right back, which means there’s now three players vying for one spot.
Jura could be moved on in the January if the right bid comes in for the Celtic defender.
If not, a move in the summer looks more to an likely.
Ange has spoken about being aggressive in the transfer market and that means selling some fan favourites.
We wish both Maeda and Juranovic all the best for Monday.
