Midtjylland boss Bo Henriksen has taunted Celtic ahead of Tuesday night’s Champions League clash by claiming it’s better for the Hoops not to have a full house.
The Wolves gaffer would loved to have seen 60,000 fans at Parkhead rather than just 9,000 – as they would pile the pressure on Ange Postecoglou’s side.
Henriksen knows under-strength Celts are vulnerable right now and is determined to turn up the heat.
He said: “We know the Scottish fans are crazy – in a good way.
“Even though there will only be 9,000 fans, they will make a lot of noise.
“We had hoped there would be 60,000 – but that could maybe be a good thing for Celtic. There will be less but it won’t be an advantage for us, not with the position Celtic are in.
“You know, if we got to half time 1-0 up, we know how the Celtic supporters can be a little unsatisfied.
“I’m only speculating but I know how life goes.
“We know we have to deliver above our normal average to get a result in Glasgow.”
Henriksen admitted he is in the same boat as Celtic with players heading for the exit – after a bust up with wantaway striker Sory Kaba.
The £4m rated hitman refused to play in pre-season and stormed out of training having been linked with a move to Spain.
The boss said: “Sory Kaba is on the transfer list. That’s the reality. His dream is to get a transfer elsewhere.
“Right now, I do not think he is mentally ready to appear in the squad and be a part of this. And that is important to us.
“So I simply choose other players. I am not afraid of making that decision.”
Former Celt Erik Svitchenko reckons his old teammate Kris Ajer will be a huge miss for the Hoops as the defender gears up for his big money move to Brentford.
The Midtjylland skipper said: “Kristoffer has done an amazing job since he came in as a youth player back in 2016 and has been through so many great things with the club and has given his all with a lot of trophies and a lot of great performances. He has developed into a player who attracts interest.
“The Premier League clubs have an extra edge compared to the Scottish Premiership clubs so for him to develop and take the next step, he would need to play in the Premier League. I’m really, really happy for him, especially because he has won so many trophies and done so many good things for the club.
“He’ll be a big miss because he has been a key player over the last couple of seasons. It’s good for us and not so good for Celtic.”
Sviatchenko – who starred for Celtic for two seasons before heading home in 2018 – won’t underestimate his old side despite the major changes at Parkhead.
He said: “It’s going to be a nice return, especially playing as captain for Midtjylland against my former club. It’s going to be a good return.
“It’s normal in football that you go through a really, really good time and sometimes you go through a time of transition.
“Celtic are facing that at the moment. We need to be on our ‘A game’ to beat a team that is still individually and collectively a team.
“It’s always difficult to say about advantages but we’re in a good position. We have a great squad but like Celtic we are going through a change of players and they need to be adapted to the way we want to play.
“We have a good possibility of going through but it will demand hard work from us."
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