As Feyenoord gear up for their first Champions League of the season, they will not be using PSV’s results against Rangers as a barometer ahead of the upcoming clash against Celtic on Tuesday.
That’s because the Dutch side comfortably eliminated Michael Beale’s men on their way to qualifying for the group stage of the competition over two legs with an aggregate score of 7-3.
Feyenoord’s first game against Celtic is set to take place on Tuesday evening at De Kuip stadium, which is why Arne Slot, their manager, spoke to the media on Monday about the upcoming clash, relayed by 1908.nl.
It’s recalled that PSV ‘easily beat’ Rangers on their way to the Champions League group stage, but Slot is certainly not taking the upcoming game against Celtic as a gimme, and expects a far tougher challenge than what Beale’s club offered to their league rivals.
He said: “Celtic have become champions nine times I the last 10 years, and I know how difficult it is to become champion. Then you have to have absolute respect for those types of teams, even if it is a competition where only two teams are in charge.
“Celtic have only lost to [Rangers] once in the last six meetings. Celtic have simply been a much better club than Rangers in the last 10 years.”
Whether the Parkhead residents do provide a tougher challenge than Rangers in the upcoming game remains to be seen, but it’s also hard to ignore Feyenoord’s current run of form, who have scored 17 goals in their last three league games, beating Almere and Heerenveen 6-1 and destroying FC Utrecht 5-1 away from home.
Still, the Eredivisie side will be without their two natural strikers in Santiago Gimenez and Ayase Ueda for the game, meaning they will have to improvise when it comes to someone leading the line against Celtic’s chosen defence.
