Barca clash should test out mettle, says O'Neill

CELTIC manager Martin O'Neill has declared that drawing Barcelona in the last 16 of the UEFA Cup is a huge bonus for the club.

Hoops fans who partied in Seville last season when Celtic were beaten in the final by Porto will have mixed feelings.

On the one hand, there is the excitement of visiting the famous Nou Camp stadium but, on the other, the Spanish giants represent a far more formidable barrier than some of last year's opponents like Boavista and Celta Vigo.

Even so, O'Neill is upbeat about trying to add the Catalans to a long list of Euro conquests. "They are in a rich vein of form, but it doesn't matter. It's exciting, and we knew we were going to draw someone big because we weren't seeded in the last 16. It's a tough draw for us and one where we would probably start second favourites. It is great for us and we will just go out and play.

"Certainly there are a lot of very good teams left in the competition but it's exciting. I don't think we will have any problems selling the game out.

"It is a big boost for the club, so from that aspect let's go out and enjoy it."

The first leg will be played at Parkhead next Thursday and, although that was not O'Neill's preference, he insists it is a disadvantage that has been overcome before.

"We were at home first in every single UEFA Cup game last year, and it didn't do us any harm. "Personally, I would prefer to be away first, but it wasn't to be."

The global presence of Barcelona means spying missions will hardly be needed, although chief scout Tom O'Neill will watch them against Real Mallorca on Sunday.

O'Neill may have to do without striker Chris Sutton, who has joined fellow forwards John Hartson and Shaun Maloney on the casualty list.

With Hartson and Maloney ruled out for the rest of the season, only Henrik Larsson remains as an experienced goal-getter.

Meanwhile Liverpool face a European reunion with Fabien Barthez as goalscoring defender Sami Hyypia predicts they can go all the way in the UEFA Cup again. Hyypia, one of the stars of 2001 when Liverpool lifted the UEFA Cup in Dortmund, admits he wants to experience that elation again.

The big defender scored the final goal in the 4-2 third-round second-leg romp against Levski Sofia on Wednesday, then returned in the early hours from Bulgaria with his team-mates to find themselves paired with Marseille in the next round.

Barthez is likely to find himself back in English football at Anfield for next Thursday's first leg and Liverpool may also come up against the likes of former Fulham man Steve Marlet, former Blackburn defender Sebastien Perez and recent loan signing from Manchester City, David Sommeil.

The second leg will be in the south of France on March 25, and Hyypia believes that not only can Liverpool get to the final, they can salvage their season by taking fourth spot and Champions League football next season.

"We are strong enough to go all the way in the UEFA Cup, and we are a stronger team than we have shown this season. I still believe we are strong enough to be top three and fighting for the title too, and I believe we are good enough to win the UEFA Cup."

If they get past the French club, who are currently a modest sixth in the table, then a quarter-final against either Benfica or Inter Milan awaits.