With Celtic and Slavia Prague going head to head in the Europa League on Thursday evening, there was only one player the Czech media could turn to: Jiří Jarošík.
The former midfielder, now 43 and manager of Ustí nad Labem in the Fortuna Narodni Liga, the country’s second-tier, sat down with iDNES for a chat about the upcoming game, where he was immediately asked about his two seasons at Parkhead.
He said: “I experienced a great period at Celtic, when there were great players, we won two titles, played in the Champions League. But I like to remember the fans, Celtic have some of the best fans in the world.”
Pointing out it’s a ‘pity’ the usual fanbase will not be present at the stadium on Thursday night, iDNES wanted to know more about what awaited Sparta Prague in Scotland.
Jarošik continued: “The football is a fight, a commitment, a ride. The Celtic manager is Neil Lennon, my former teammate, who has a typical Scottish style, is a bit old school. Fast and demanding football, there are not many passes and combinations.
“It can be seen in the results. It’s still enough for the Scottish league, but it’s not enough for the Champions League. I wonder how they’ll fare against Sparta.”
Pressed to predict an outcome, Jarošik believes that in normal circumstances, with a packed Celtic Park, Neil Lennon’s men would come out victorious, but with no crowd, there’s a strong chance their Czech visitors could walk away with a point.
As to the most pertinent question of the interview? The 43-year-old was asked if he’d ever worn a kilt.
He replied: “I tried it once, it had the colours of Celtic. It cost around £2000, so it was quite expensive. I thought it would be a nice reminder of my time there, but it in the end I didn’t buy it. I don’t even know why anymore”.
During his time in Scotland between 2006 and 2008, Jarošik made 42 appearances in the green and white shirt, scoring seven goals and assisting another four.
