Ange Postecoglou has told his Celtic stars to show no fear in their Champions League opener against Real Madrid.
And the Parkhead boss is adamant he’s not going to limit their expectations or burst the bubble of his excited fanbase as the Hoops prepare for Tuesday's Champions League blockbuster against the European champions.
Celtic’s return to the big time after a five-year absence could not be more spectacular against the record-holding 14-time winners of the competition, reports The Daily Record.
READ MORE: Kyogo Furuhashi fit for Real Madrid clash but Carl Starfelt misses out says Celtic boss
Postecoglou’s men will have eyes of the globe on them against Real, but he’ll tell his boys to banish any trepidation and charge into the tie knowing they cannot go wrong if they are not scared.
Asked how his Champions League newbies may respond to the test, he said: “You don’t know. For a lot of the players in there, apart from maybe Callum [McGregor], James [Forrest] or Joe [Hart], this will be their first time.
“But I will send them out there with the understanding that, if they show no fear and just be themselves, then they can’t fail on the night. They can’t. If you go out there and give the best of yourself there is no failure. And, however we come out of it, I will make sure of that.”
Postceoglou is refusing to put limits on or set targets for his troops as he continued: “Minimum requirement for me is that we play at our best and see where that takes us.
“I don’t want to limit our potential as to what we can achieve. What we are chasing is to play at our best with the football we have been playing so far. Then we see where that takes us and how it measures up. If that’s not good enough then, like everything else in my career, I will look to improve.
“Last year, we never set out to be champions. Yes, I wanted to win it, but the first thing was to be the best possible team we could be. That will be our objective here and wherever that takes us, it takes us. Whatever the conclusion is, I take responsibility for it.”
With their heroes racing to seven straight wins including a hammering of Rangers to take into the showdown against the Spaniards, the Celtic fans believe their team can cause a huge upset. Postecoglou is in no mood to temper any enthusiasm as, when that was put to him, he smiled
“So you want me to burst everyone’s bubble? You want me to bring a downer to this whole experience?". He said. "No, I’m glad our supporters are buzzing about it, I’ve got no problem with that, that’s what we love about the game. I want our supporters dreaming about big games, big wins and winning things, that’s the role of us as a football club.
"I’m sure they get enough of their bubble burst in their normal lives on a daily basis, it doesn’t need me to bring them down and tell them not to come here too excited because it might not go well. My role is to make sure they come bouncing in and, hopefully, we send them bouncing out.”
Postecoglou says his own road to tonight gives him his optimism as he added: “Having come from the other side of the world, I’ve had to overcome some fairly significant challenges, the biggest one being my passport to prove to people I could perform at the highest level. I guess that’s built a resilience in me that means I’m not daunted by anything.”
Swedish star Carl Starfelt is out with a knee injury, but Kyogo Furuhashi could feature after taking part in Monday’s training.
The Japanese sustained a shoulder issue in the weekend win over Rangers, but the boss said: “I am relaxed. I want my best players available and he is desperate to play and the way he plays he can cause anyone problems. We will give him every chance, but if he doesn’t come up, we have alternatives and we will still have a team out there that can compete.”
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