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Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Gabriel McKay

Ange Postecoglou explains Celtic pitch call as he insists Bodo Glimt training session would make 'absolutely zero difference'

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou insists flying out to Norway for a training session on the Bodo/Glimt pitch would make "absolutely zero difference."

The Premiership leaders face the Norwegian champions in the second leg of their Europa Conference League tie on Thursday night, trailing 3-1 from the first leg.

Traditionally in UEFA competition the visiting team flies out the day before the game and holds a training session on the home pitch.

But Celtic have opted to forego that amid wild weather in the Arctic Circle, and Postecoglou says there was nothing to be gained by heading out on Wednesday.

He said: "Here in Scotland we obviously have exposure to artificial pitches, we have already had two games this year on an artificial pitch so there is no a great deal to be gained

Ange Postecoglou celebrates Celtic's win over Dundee (Action Images via Reuters)

"Every week has a different challenge. If you are expecting that after one session you are going to find some miracle on an artificial pitch that you haven't thought about, that is going to win you the game, then you fall into the wrong trap.

"I have been involved in football for a long time, especially at national team level but even in Australia, where you have to deal with extreme climatic conditions, extreme pitch conditions.

"When I was with the national team we were travelling from cold climates to the Middle East in literally 24 hours, bumpy pitches to slow pitches, and what I found in the end is that the best approach is to make sure that your players are always prepared to deal with whatever challenges there are.

"There is no easy solutions. Us flying there today and having a session on their pitch is going to make absolutely zero difference.

"Us being here, getting a good training session with the boys, getting them prepared for a difficult game tomorrow, is much more important to me."

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