Strach facing sweat on Boruc fitness

CELTIC boss Gordon Strachan will seek a morning decision on the fitness of Artur Boruc for the visit of Shakhtar Donetsk.

Boruc pulled out of the 3-0 victory over Aberdeen on Saturday after a problem with his toes hindered his kicking during the warm-up.

Mark Brown stepped in and had a very quiet afternoon against a disappointing Dons side but Strachan does not want such a close call for tonight’s Champions League tie.

Boruc tested his fitness yesterday and Strachan will consult widely before naming his team.

Strachan said: “He has done a bit of training this morning, inside on the FieldTurf.

“We will be speaking to the physios, doctors and Artur later on.

“It was last minute on Saturday, wasn’t it? So hopefully it will be a bit earlier than last minute.’’

Paul Hartley was also ruled out of the Aberdeen clash after being hit by a virus and his availability for tonight’s Group D game is still in question.

“I don’t think he is back to full strength, it is quite a sharp virus that puts people out for a couple of days,” Strachan said.

“We really need to take that into consideration. We will see how he feels and speak to the doctor.”

Shakhtar brushed Celtic aside 2-0 in Ukraine in the opening game of the group and the game was over within eight minutes as the hosts went two up.

But Strachan does not believe they have huge lessons to learn from that game after taking Benfica to the final few minutes in Lisbon and beating the Portuguese side and AC Milan in Glasgow.

“The lesson we learned is the thing we learned in Benfica, hope we don’t lose an early goal,” he said.

“We need to play common-sense football and not give the other team an advantage right away, let the game flow.”

Those home wins continued Celtic’s tremendous Champions League record at Celtic Park — they have won 11 and lost just once at home in 14 group games.

That contrasts with a dismal away record of just one point from the same number of matches.

But the Celtic manager gave short shrift to suggestions that the players may become complacent about their home record.

“We don’t know why we do so well at home,” Strachan said.

“The advantage we have at home with the supporters is great but we get great support away from home as well.

“The Celtic sides before I got here were the same. We have had two managers but results seem to have stayed the same.

“We are positive about the way we are playing, we are scoring goals. That’s where the positivity comes from just now.”

With Celtic travelling to Milan in their final game, and Shakhtar at home to Benfica, a draw would leave the Ukrainians favourites to progress as both sides currently have six points.

But Strachan says the pressure to win is hardly unfamiliar for an Old Firm manager.

“We play must-win games every week, trust me,” Strachan said.

“We might get a point and get our first away win in Milan, you can never plan in football. We just play and see how we get on.”

And Strachan also brushed aside claims from Shakhtar boss Mircea Lucescu that the Hoops were lucky to beat both Benfica and Milan.

“He must be confusing me with someone who is bothered,” Strachan said.