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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.

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“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.