Strachan calls for Celtic pride

GORDON STRACHAN has made pride the main aim for his Celtic players in the second leg of their Champions League tie against Barcelona at the Nou Camp tonight.

The Scottish champions are 3-2 down from the first game at Parkhead where they were outplayed for almost the whole 90 minutes. To add to a daunting task, Celtic will have to win their first-ever away game in the tournament if they are to make the quarter-finals but manager Strachan is most concerned with his players putting on a show.

“You always want to win every game for your pride, it’s a big thing in football,” Strachan said.

“We are angry that we lost the first leg although we understand that we played against a great side.

“We want to leave Barcelona players and fans with a good impression of us, that’s what we are going to try and do.

“Hopefully the Nou Camp does inspire the players. There is nothing wrong with a bit of fear — sometimes it can push you on to greater things.

“I hope that we have a fear to get the ball back when they have it and stop them playing and then when we get the ball back have no fear whatsoever, to hold on to the ball more and be braver when we have possession. Hopefully that might do us.”

Strachan has to decide whether Mark Wilson or Paul Caddis replaces cup-tied right-back Andreas Hinkel.

Caddis made his European debut in the first leg which Celtic lost 3-2 but was replaced in the second half by Wilson, who is fit again after being out since last September with a knee injury.

The Celtic boss said: “Normally we would like to look after Mark a bit better but we had to use him for 30 minutes the last time because young Paul got tired. But he comes in to our thinking for use at some stage during the game.”

Meanwhile, Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard insists rumours linking him with the Chelsea job is having no effect on him or his players. In the wake of Chelsea’s recent Carling Cup final defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, speculation abounded that the Stamford Bridge club were targeting the former Holland international as a replacement for manager Avram Grant.

Barcelona suffered their first defeat in 16 games when they lost 4-2 at Atletico Madrid on Saturday night, leaving them five points behind La Liga leaders Real Madrid. They also needed a late Xavi equaliser to earn them a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final against Valencia in the Nou Camp last week.

Rijkaard, who has been linked with Chelsea in the past, fended off questions about his future: “I am aware of the rumours but they are that – rumours – and they have not affected me or my team.

“Right now I am just concentrating on getting results on the pitch.”