Leigh Griffiths reckons Neil Lennon’s Euro expertise can bank Celtic a crucial Champions League result in Cluj.
The Parkhead outfit are gearing up for their third-qualifying round crunch tie in Romania on Wednesday buoyed by a spectacular 7-0 opening-day win over St Johnstone in the Ladbrokes Premiership.
Griffiths and his team-mates were full of style as they destroyed Tommy Wright’s team.
But the striker admits it could take more substance than swagger to obtain a positive first-leg outcome against Dan Petrescu’s outfit.
Griffiths says Celtic will have to be solid and believes that Lennon’s adaptability and track record of grabbing big results in Europe will ensure the team are set-up perfectly for their vital mission.
He said: “We will need to do the dirty stuff against Cluj over there.
“That’s the mark of a European tie away from home and the manager can be pragmatic when he needs to be.
“For all the negativity that he had last season, people forget he took this club to the last 16 of the Champions League.
“You see the way he can set up in Europe, frustrate teams and make us hard to beat. He’s given the fans a lot of memorable European nights.
“We need to go there, be compact and solid and look to break on them in the counter attack.
“We have the quality and speed to cause Cluj problems if we do that.”
Griffiths admits the hurt of last season’s exit at this stage of the Champions League qualifiers to Greek side AEK Athens will act as a driving force as the Scottish champions look to keep forging their way towards the group stages.
He added: “We never made it last year, but we have a chance to put that right this season.
“When you think of the teams we have beaten at that third round over the years, AEK weren’t the strongest, but that’s gone now and we want to go and put it right.
“We also need to be clinical against Cluj as we weren’t in Athens last year.
“I was guilty of missing a chance over there that I’d normally tuck away.
“It’s about what we do, but we are taking nothing for granted. We will respect Cluj because they are a decent side.
“We need to put in a strong performance and, if we get a decent result, Celtic Park will be packed the week after for the return.”
