Celtic’s European hopes hang in the balance on Thursday night and they have the perfect opportunity to book their spot in the knockout stages, with the final group game coming against a Utrecht side in total disarray.
Martin O’Neill’s men will qualify if they can beat the Dutch outfit at Celtic Park. The good news? Utrecht haven’t won a league game since November 9, when they beat Ajax. Their most recent win in any competition came back on December 17, in the cup against a side who currently sit 15th in the Dutch second tier.
Since then, it’s been downhill. Ron Jans’ side are on a five-game losing streak, with three defeats in the Eredivisie, one in the Dutch Cup and another in Europe.
Following the latest loss at home to Sparta Rotterdam, tensions boiled over. Utrecht fans called for Jans to resign, and both the manager and goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas were involved in talks with furious supporters. But the 67-year-old boss is refusing to walk away.
“That was definitely a thank you for their support, not a farewell,” Jans insisted.
“This time it was ‘shame on you’ and ‘Ron Jans, don’t come back’ — if I heard correctly. I don’t plan on doing that.
“I’m having a great time here, though I’m currently going through a very difficult phase, for which I’m obviously partly responsible.” [TCW]
Celtic, by contrast, showed resilience in their last European outing. It was a gutsy 2-2 draw in Bologna with 10 men, and a win on Thursday will send them through. It all in our hands heading into the match. With the Hoops in fighting form and Utrecht floundering, there may be no better time to strike.
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