It will be loud, raw and vital: Club Brugge wants to knock open the door to the play-offs in the Champions League on Wednesday evening in Celtic Park. 60,000 frenzied Scots are expected there, although Nicky Hayen knows that the truth lies on the field. “Communicating will be difficult, we may have to work with a piece of paper.”
Six points after four games: Club Brugge is still fully participating in the Champions League for a place in the coveted top 24. That search continues on Wednesday evening in the mythical Celtic Park, where the decibels make it impossible for a coach to make proper adjustments. during the match. It will be loud and raw, but above all it will be a vital match for Blue and Black.
Witch’s cauldron
“We shouldn’t worry too much about those things off the field,” said Nicky Hayen on the eve of Celtic Club. “In the end, it still has to happen between those lines.” But if the game plan needs to be adjusted, Hayen realizes he will have to be creative. “We know that there is little room to communicate because of the noise. Then we might have to use a piece of paper to get information to the players. But those are problems for tomorrow.” That predicted witch’s cauldron: it has not gone unnoticed by Brandon Mechele. “I think there is a big difference between Celtic at home and away. They are stronger with the fans behind them. We have to find an answer to that.”
60,000 football-crazy Scots or not: Club has only one assignment on Wednesday. Win. Or at least make a point. Celtic Glasgow is on paper the most feasible opponent of the last four games. Sporting Lisbon, Juventus and Manchester City are of a different caliber. “Whether nine points is enough to reach the play-offs? That will be an issue. It has already been so unpredictable,” said Hayen. Big teams leave points that they have to collect later. We cannot do the calculations yet, that is only for the last two games.”
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Options
We don’t expect Hayen to adopt a hedgehog position like in San Siro. Club wants to give the ball its full chance. If you let Celtic dominate, the entire stadium will go along with it. Dangerous. “It will not be a closed match,” says the coach. “It could be a difficult evening. Both teams can take options for the next round. I heard that expectations are also high here. The atmosphere will be fantastic, but we just have to perform on the field. We shouldn’t be concerned with peripheral issues.”
Striking: the match against Celtic is also a happy reunion with Red Devil Arne Engels. “I had him at Club NXT for a year. Could he not break through to us? The first team was full at that time, and young players have to show some patience. I understand his choice to leave then. But with Vermant, Seys and Sabbe we show that we also give opportunities to young people. It is sad for Club that he left, but it turned out well for him.”
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