Gattuso not worried by boo Bhoys

AC Milan star Gennaro Gattuso claims he does not care what reception he receives from the Celtic fans tomorrow.

The Champions League clash at Parkhead carries high stakes for both teams with the Italian giants bidding to win Group F and Celtic looking to secure a consolation place in the UEFA Cup.

That means the Serie A side can expect a hostile atmosphere as Martin O’Neill’s men hope to end their campaign on a high.

But Gattuso is likely to be singled out for extra special attention from the Celtic faithful because of his days as a Rangers player.

The midfielder spent just over a year at Ibrox and proved popular with fans but the arrival of Dick Advocaat in the summer of 1998 signalled the end of his time in Glasgow and he joined Salernitana a couple of months later.

The move proved to be a blessing in disguise for Gattuso and he quickly caught the attention of AC Milan and forced his way into the Italian national side.

Tomorrow night’s game provides him with the opportunity to return to Glasgow but a frosty reception from his former Old Firm rivals holds no fear for him.

He joked: “I like Rangers supporters, not Celtic supporters!”

However, Gattuso turned serious when quizzed on Milan’s chances of taking all three points from the game.

They sit at the top of the table, two points ahead of nearest rivals Barcelona, and they know they will get a favourable draw in the next round if they can remain there.

But Gattuso, speaking as the team arrived at Glasgow Airport this afternoon, was refusing to take the threat of Celtic lightly following their draw against Barcelona in the Nou Camp in their last European outing.

He added: “I’m expecting a hard game because it is important for Celtic to win and they need the three points to get into the UEFA Cup. Maybe we will win, maybe we won’t. This will be a very hard game for us and I don’t know whether we will win it.”

AC Milan produced a late fightback against Parma to take all three points on Saturday after goals from Kaka and Andrea Pirlo secured a 2-1 victory.

It was their first win at the Tardini stadium since November 2001 and captain Paolo Maldini warned that confidence is high ahead of the clash with Celtic.

He said: “We want to get into first place and that means we have to win. We want to win the game and we have to win it. They are a strong team but we are in good shape and confident.”

AC Milan defeated Celtic 3-1 at the San Siro but coach Carlo Ancelotti believes that game provides no indication of what to expect tomorrow night.

He said: “In Glasgow the Scottish side will be certainly different, the atmosphere will be hot, the physical side of the team will emerge and they will take advantage from an environment that is different from the foreign one they found at the San Siro.”