UEFA U21 Championship - Group A : Italy 1-0 England

Italy clinched victory over England in Group A's second game of the day courtesy of a late Lorenzo Insigne free kick. 

Italy had dominated a goalless first half with Insigne looking particularly dangerous.  He should have opened the scoring on 21 minutes when he played a fine one-two with Ciro Immobile but Jack Butland got off his line quickly which forced Insigne to try to lift the ball over him but he got too much on the chip and his shot went just over the bar. 

The Italians should have had a penalty on 39 minutes when Insigne broke away on the left wing before playing in Alessandro Florenzi.  Florenzi tried to cut inside but was took down by Jack Robinson.  There was definite contact but the referee waved the Italian appeals away.

England had done very little in the first half but they started off the second very quickly.  Connor Wickham had a goal rightfully disallowed for offside but I'm not sure I can say the same for England's second disallowed goal.  I'm still not sure what the goal was disallowed for and I don't even know who made the decision to disallow it.  Caulker came together with an Italian in the box but there definitely wasn't enough in it to warrant a free kick.  The ball came to Craig Dawson who headed into the goal and the England players ran to the corner in celebration for a good thirty seconds before "someone" disallowed the goal. 

After that it was all Italy and Fabio Borini went close with a header from a narrow angle which Jack Butland turned around the post.  Butland went on to have a crazy few minutes shortly after when he completely missed his punch at a corner and seconds later he blasted a clearance at Borini but fortunately for the Stoke City man the Italians were unable to punish him.

On 73 minutes, Italy went close with a well worked free kick that looked to be straight from the training ground.  The English defence should have known Italy were going to do something different after a peculiar build up to the kick.  Insigne and Marco Verratti seemed to be having an argument about who was taking the kick and Verratti lifted his shirt up exposing his stomach which was presumably a sign for the free kick.  Insigne went in to the box and made a diagonal run which wasn't tracked by the defence but he was unable to connect with his acrobatic effort.

After 77 minutes, it was time for the referee to get involved again.  Manolo Gabbiadini flicked the ball past Nathaniel Clyne superbly before the Southampton man took him to the ground.  The referee seemed to give the penalty initially but looked toward his assistant and gave a free kick on the edge of the box instead.  Fortunately, for Italy it didn't matter as Insigne stepped up and curled a right footed shot into the goal to hand Italy the lead.  Butland got a hand to it but he was at full stretch and it would have been difficult to get it around the post. 

England never really threatened again until the dying seconds when they got a free kick outside the Italian box.  Jordan Henderson got a good effort on target but Francesco Bardi made a fine save at full stretch to secure the three points for Italy.

England now face a tough task in Group A and I would consider them to be outsiders for Saturday's game against Norway.  This under 21 team shares exactly the same problems as their senior counterparts.  The English media want the team to play "good football" but the players are miles behind their European rivals in technical ability.  To be a success England need to play to their strengths and technical ability is not one of them.  The one positive tonight was the performance of Bimingham City's, Nathan Redmond who was very good on his under 21 debut. 

Italy looked decent tonight but if they are to rival whoever comes out of Group B they will need to improve.   Matteo Bianchetti, Luca Marrone and Lorenzo Insigne were impressive but I would expect to see at least one of Fabio Borini or Ciro Immobile drop out of the starting line up for the Israel game. 

Man of the Match : Lorenzo Insigne - The diminutive Napoli star was outstanding in the first half and although England done a better job of closing him down in the second half, he still popped up with a very good winner. 

UEFA U21 Championship - Group A : Israel 2-2 Norway

Ten man Norway left it late to grab a point in the opening game of the UEFA U21 Championship breaking the hearts of hosts Israel in the process.

Israel got off to a nervy start and were sloppy in possession which presented Norway with the ball in good areas but they were unable to punish the mistakes. 

The home sides nerves were settled though when they took the lead in controversial fashion.  The referee gave a dubious corner to Israel and the Norwegians were unable to clear it,  With the ball bouncing about the box, Omar Elabdellaoui took a wild swing but caught Omri Ben Harush and the referee rightfully pointed to the spot.  Israel's captain, Nir Biton stepped up to take it and sent the Norwegian goalkeeper the wrong way.

The lead was short lived however and just nine minutes later, Norway were level.  Israel failed to deal with a cross into the box and Marcus Pedersen out muscled the defender before turning and hitting a low shot into the corner.

Norway built on that goal and should really have took the lead as they were causing all sorts of problems for the Israel back line.  Anders Konradsen hit the bar and Jo Inge Berget hit the post as Norway were taking advantage of a static Israeli defence with some smart attacking runs.

However, Norway failed to take advantage of their dominance and the game swung in Israel's favour just before half time when Vegar Eggen Hedenstad saw red when he brought down Mohammed Kalibat who was through with the goalkeeper to beat.  I'm not sure the referee got this right though as, although the striker was clear of Hedenstad, the angle he was running at would have took him into the path of Fredrik Semb Berge who may have been able to make a challenge.  The referee felt otherwise though and made a decision that was to have a huge impact on the result.

Even with ten men Norway still looked the better side and the goal scorer, Pedersen could and should have added to his tally.  Twice he found himself one on one with the goalkeeper and twice he failed to find the back of the net.  Konradsen was again denied by the woodwork when his deflected shot hit the post and Norway were perhaps thinking the God's were conspiring against them.

Israel began to get into the match as Norway tired and should have took the lead when Moanes Dabour turned in the box but blasted into the side netting with the goal at his mercy.

They weren't to be denied minutes later though when the ball fell to Alon Turgeman fifteen yards from goal and he blasted a volley past Orjan Nyland to send the home fans into raptures.

With time running out it looked like Israel were going to hang on for a famous victory but Norway had other ideas and forced a stoppage time equaliser.  Havard Nielsen chested the ball into the path of Harmeet Singh who connected beautifully with his left foot from outside the box to earn Norway a well deserved point.

On the balance of play a draw was probably a fair result but I think the key point of this game was the red card and if both teams had finished with eleven men I think we would be talking about a Norway victory.

It's hard to see Israel getting much joy from either of their last two games but Norway showed enough to make me think when the four senior internationals return to the squad they might just have enough to get out of this group. 

Man of the Match : Marcus Pedersen (Norway) - The Odense striker scored one goal and should have had several more but poor finishing let him down.  I could criticise him for the missed chances but instead I will give him credit for the skills and movement that created the opportunities.  I will be looking forward to see him in the next two games and expect that his finishing will be better if he gets the same volume of chances as he did in this game.

UEFA Under 21 Championship Preview

The 19th UEFA Under 21 Championship kicks off in Israel on Wednesday 5th June with a strong line up including former winners Italy, England, Russia, Netherlands, Germany and defending champions Spain.  Hosts Israel and Norway complete the line up and all eight teams will be hoping to be crowned European Champions.

This is my favourite international tournament outside the World Cup and European Championships as the players are often established at their clubs but there are always one or two gems that use this tournament to launch their careers to superstar level.

I have enjoyed watching in recent seasons as many of the stars in this tournament have gone on to win some of the most prestigious prizes in world football.  In fact a look at the list of players who have won the award for Player of the Tournament is like a who's who of some of the biggest names in football over the last 20-30 years.  Rudi Voller, Laurent Blanc, Davor Suker, Luis Figo, Fabio Cannavaro, Andrea Pirlo, Petr Cech, Klass-Jan Huntelaar and Juan Mata are all winners of the Under-21 Golden Player award and I have no doubt that a look at the squad lists in five or six years will include European Championship winners, Champions League winners and maybe even World Cup winners.

Once again the eight teams are split into two groups of four with the top two in each group progressing to the knock out stages.  On paper Group B looks like the stronger but we all know that football results are decided on the pitch rather than on paper and there could be a surprise on the cards.

With all that in mind, let's take a look at the teams.



GROUP A

England

Ave age : 21
Senior Caps : 5 players (9 caps)
Most U21 Caps : Danny Rose (27)

England arrive in Israel with the youngest squad of all the competing nations.  There's not a lot in it but they are the youngest team and with just 9 senior caps between them it's difficult to see who the team will look to as a leader.

Jordan Henderson has 5 caps to his name and despite a slow start to his Liverpool career, his form has improved this season and he is slowly paying back the high price Liverpool paid Sunderland for his services.

Steven Caulker is another player who is building a reputation for himself after a solid season at Tottenham.  He won his first England cap this season and done well last summer with Team GB at the Olympics.

In attack England will look to Wilfried Zaha and Tom Ince to provide the spark.  The duo are highly rated but they are Championship players and the other teams have players who are competing in the Champions League so it is hard to see much success for England.

I think England have made a mistake by not sending senior internationals like Phil Jones and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as I think it would be good for their development but instead they are playing in friendly games for the senior team.  Time will tell if this strategy pays off but I think it's a mistake.

One To Watch : Jack Butland - Butland has signed for Stoke City from Birmingham so we will finally get to see him at the top level next season but from what I have saw he looks like a top class goalkeeper.  Joe Hart is doing fine for now but I think Butland will go past him in the next year or two and should be England's number one for many years to come.


Israel

Ave Age : 21.26
Senior Caps : 4 players (18 caps)
Most U21 Caps : Boris Klaiman, Nir Biton, Eyal Golasa (17)

Israel are a team I don't know a lot about and it is hard to get an idea of their form as they did not have to go through qualification after winning the right to host the tournament. 

A look at their squad shows that only Fulham's, Omri Altman played outside Israel last season.  He didn't make any senior appearances though.  Orr Barouch is owned by Chicago Fire but spent the year on loan at Bnei Yehuda. 

Much of Israel's hopes appear to lie with their midfield duo Nir Biton and Eyal Golasa.  Both are establishing themselves with the senior team and they will need to be at their best if Israel are to make much of an impact.

One To Watch : Nir Biton - The captain has had a trial at Manchester City and at 21 years old there is still plenty of time for the defensive midfielder to make the move to one of Europe's big leagues. 


Italy

Ave Age : 21.57
Senior Caps : 6 players (12 caps)
Most U21 Caps : Luca Marrone (30)

Italy will be looking to build on their excellent record in this competition by winning it for a sixth time.  The Italians are two wins ahead of Spain who have won it three times.  Many Italians will think the win is overdue as it has been nine years since their last victory.  That's not a bad record for most countries but the Italians won five of the seven competitions between 1992 and 2004 so they can be forgiven for thinking that four tournaments without a win is a bit of a drought.

This Italian team has a few established stars with eight of the squad having made 20 or more appearances in Serie A this season.  Alessandro Florenzi, Lorenzo Insigne and Mattia Destro look like stars in the making and they look like strong favourites to come through Group A.

One To Watch : Marco Verratti - Verratti had an excellent season for Paris St Germain, making 27 league appearances and 9 Champions League appearances for the French champions.  At just 20 years old he looks like being a huge star in the future.


Norway

Ave Age : 21.48
Senior Caps : 14 players (71 caps)
Most U21 Caps : Harmeet Singh (35)

Norway have a very experienced squad with 71 senior caps between them but ironically that may prove to be their downfall.  The senior team have a World Cup Qualifier with Albania on 7th June and four key members of the Under 21's are in the squad.  They will join the Under 21's after the Albania game but they will miss the Israel game for definite and with Norway due to play their second group game on Saturday, less than 24 hours after the Albania game, they may well be ruled out of that game too.

Valon Berisha, Markus Henriksen and Havard Nordtveit look to be the stars of this Norway team but unfortunately they are three of the players who will be in action against Albania so Norway's hopes will hang on getting something without them whilst hoping they return in as good a condition as possible for the two remaining games. 

One To Watch : Havard Nordtveit - Hopefully, for Norway's sake and as a neutral, we get to see Nordtveit in action.  31 Bundesliga appearances, 7 Europa League appearances for Borussia Monchengladbach and 9 Norway caps suggests that he is one to look out for. 



GROUP B


Germany
Ave Age : 21.48
Senior Caps : 1 player (3 caps)
Most U21 Caps : Lewis Holtby (21)

Germany will be one of the favourites for this tournament despite the fact that Lewis Holtby is the only senior international in the squad.  For most countries that would be a cause for concern but after failure in Euro 2000, Germany put a lot into developing young players and they are now reaping the rewards.  The senior team includes Manuel Neuer, Sami Khedira, Mesut Ozil and Mats Hummels who won this tournament in 2009 so there's not much room for this generation of young talent yet and they can continue to develop at this level. 

Whilst the squad doesn't have a lot of senior international experience, 15 of the squad made at least 16 appearances in the Bundesliga this season.  With the Bundesliga being arguably the best league in Europe at the moment a squad of players who are playing regularly in it could be hard to beat. 

One To Watch : Lewis Holtby - Holtby has a great record at this level scoring 13 goals in his 21 caps.  He joined Tottenham in January and made 11 appearances in the Premier League and I expect he will make a serious impact next season.


Netherlands
Ave Age : 21.35
Senior Caps : 12 players (61 caps)
Most U21 Caps : Leroy Fer (27)

Many people will think that Group B is all about Spain and Germany but this looks like a very strong Netherlands team.  The squad has 61 senior caps between them and although they had a poor Euro 2012, they were in the 2010 World Cup Final.  The Netherlands are one of the top countries in international football and the fact that this squad has so many senior internationals has to be respected. 

Not only does the squad have experienced internationals but there is also experience of top level European competition.  Ajax duo, Ricardo van Rhijn and Daley Blind both played in all six Champions League games.  Benfica's Ola John, Anderlecht's Bram Nuytinck and Danny Hoesen of Ajax also played Champions League football.  PSV trio, Memphis, Kevin Strootman and Georginio Wijnaldum all played Europa League football and when you add Feyenoord's Stefan de Vrij, Bruno Martins Indi, Jordy Clasie and Borussia Monchengladbach's Luuk de Jong it is easy to make a case for the Dutch having a good chance of winning the tournament. 

One To Watch : Georginio Wijnaldum - The 22 year old from PSV has had a fantastic season and looks like the next Dutch star attacking midfielder.  He scored 14 league goals and 4 Europa League goals in 5 appearances.  If he keeps that form up it is only a matter of time before he is making a move to one of Europe's elite. 


Russia

Ave Age : 21.91
Senior Caps : 8 players (49 caps)
Most U21 Caps : Fyodor Smolov (27)

Russia will be underdogs in Group B but with attackers as good as Aleksandr Kokorin, Fyodor Smolov and Alan Dzagoev in their squad they will at the very least have a punchers chance.

Smolov scored 9 goals in 7 qualifiers to get here and with Kokorin and Dzagoev, who have 40 senior caps between them, the Russians will certainly pose an attacking threat.  In qualifying they conceded just 5 goals in the group stage so they will fancy their chances of causing an upset.

One To Watch : Alan Dzagoev - Dzagoev lit up Euro 2012 last summer so I would fully expect him to be a constant danger at this level.  With 8 goals in 27 games for the senior team he should be a stand out playing against teams in this age group. 


Spain

Ave Age : 21.7
Senior Caps : 3 players (5 caps)
Most U21 Caps : David de Gea (22)

Spain will rightfully come into this tournament as hot favourites.  Their squad is very strong and would probably get out of the groups at the senior Euros but they won't be taking anything for granted as they had an equally impressive squad in last summers Olympics and fell at the first hurdle. 

This squad includes 11 players with Champions League experience this year, 3 with Europa League experience and 2 who played a key role in guiding Real Sociedad to qualification for next year's Champions League.

Like the Germans this squad doesn't have a lot of senior internationals but it's not a concern as the senior side have won the last three major tournaments so it is a very hard squad to break into and these players can try to win another under age title for Spain before pursuing their senior careers.

One To Watch : Isco - Spain seem to have an unlimited supply of attacking midfielders and Isco looks to be the best of this generation.  Juan Mata won the Golden Player in 2011 and I wouldn't be surprised if Isco won it this time. 
  

Manchester United v Real Madrid Preview

Tonight should be a great night for football fans as two of Europe's giants go head to head in the Champions League.  Manchester United and Real Madrid are arguably Europe's biggest clubs but there's only room for one of them in the Quarter-Finals of Europe's elite competition.  They drew 1-1 three weeks ago in Madrid to set up what should be a breathtaking night at Old Trafford. 

The game is packed with some of the best players in the world with players like Nemanja Vidic, Wayne Rooney and Robin Van Persie going head to head with Xabi Alonso, Mesut Ozil and Cristiano Ronaldo.  It's not just on the pitch that world class competitors will be going head to head.  There will be another heavyweight battle in the dugouts as Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho do battle.  These two are right at the top in the management game and although there is a mutual respect between them, both are ultra competitive and would love to add the others scalp to their already overloaded CV's. 

I am a complete neutral in this one and have no love for either club.  In England and Spain I follow Leeds United and Barcelona so I am used to cheering against both sides.  Having said that, as a football fan I have a lot of respect for the players and coaches on show as there's not many better in the game.  All I can hope for is a good game, played in the right way by two world class sides with two world class coaches. 

My biggest fear is that the two sides will take a cautious approach and cancel each other out.  As much attacking quality as there is between the teams, the two coaches are more than capable of setting up their teams not to lose.  Fortunately, the 1-1 draw in the first leg means that a dull game would benefit Manchester United more and I simply cannot see Sir Alex setting up his team to play defensively against anyone at Old Trafford.  I have no doubt however that Mourinho will have a plan in place to spoil the game if his side score the first goal. 

Tactically, I would expect to see them both line up in the 4-2-3-1 formation.  United are without Phil Jones and I would expect Tom Cleverley to take his place alongside Michael Carrick in midfield.  Kagawa, Rooney and Welbeck should line up across the attacking midfield area supporting Robin Van Persie in attack.  Defensively, I would expect to see De Gea in nets behind a back four of Rafael, Evra and two from Ferdinand, Vidic and Evans.  For Real, I would expect to see Lopez in goal behind Arbeloa, Varane, Ramos and Coentrao.  In midfield Xabi Alonso and Sami Khedira should provide the muscle to allow Ronaldo, Ozil and Di Maria to join Benzema in attack. 

I can see this game being one of the classics but as far as predictions go, I'll leave that to someone else.  It's almost impossible to call.  United could simply roll over a Madrid side who have struggled on their travels all year or Madrid could outclass United with their technical superiority.  Equally Ramos could throw the head up and get himself sent off or Ronaldo could once again grace a stage he has many happy memories of and send Madrid into the last eight.  You want a prediction?  Get a coin and flip it.  Heads says United win and tails says Real win.  It really is that tight. 

AC Milan v Barcelona Preview

Tonight sees two of Europe's biggest clubs go head to head in the San Siro in a huge Champions League clash.  AC Milan and Barcelona are two of the biggest names in European football and it promises to be a fantastic spectacle.

Milan have the better history in this competition but Barcelona will be favourites when you consider the two sides current standing in world football.  Milan have been on a downward slide in recent times as their players ages have caught up with them.  They are now bringing in some younger players in an attempt to build another great Milan side but surely it's too much to ask a transitional Milan to beat one of the best club sides of all time. 

This Barcelona team are without doubt the best club side I've ever saw but maybe if I was just a few years older I might consider the great Milan team of the early 90's a rival to them.  I remember that team in flashes and even watched the 1994 Champions League Final as a nine year old when Milan battered Barcelona 4-0.  I was a little too young to truly appreciate that team and the only other rivals to Barcelona in my generation would be the Galactico's.  It is no doubt tight but in my opinion this Barcelona team are better.  Older readers may point to old Ajax, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid teams but I'm too young to consider them. 

Milan and Barcelona met four times last year in this competition after being drawn together in the group stages and the Quarter-Finals.  Barca got the better of the battles last year with two wins and two draws in the four games. Since then Milan have lost Gennaro Gattuso, Clarence Seedorf, Alessandro Nesta, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva.  Gattuso, Seedorf and Nesta were all getting a bit old but Ibrahimovic and Silva are players that are irreplaceable.  If a team that included those five were unable to get one over Barcelona I can't see this current team doing the job either.   

For tonight's game, Milan's new star striker, Mario Balotelli, misses out as he is cup tied.  Barcelona are also without one of their strikers.  David Villa misses out but Barca have plenty of other attacking options and his absence will not be as crucial to Barcelona as Balotelli's is to Milan.  Both sides are in good form however.  Both are unbeaten in six games and after a slow start Milan have lost just one of their last thirteen Serie A games.  Barcelona's league form has been terrific and even at this early stage it looks as though it's just a matter of time before they officially take Real Madrid's league crown off them.   

I am looking forward to this game as I watch Barcelona on a regular basis so know exactly what they are capable of.  I don't watch a lot of Milan so I am eager to get a look at this new team but I would have to say that in the little I have saw of them I don't think they are close to being on the same level as Barcelona.  I think we could see another Champions League mismatch similar to last night's tie between Arsenal and Bayern Munich.  I have no doubt that Barcelona will come out on top in this tie and I would be quite surprised if they don't go home to Spain with a lead.

Celtic v Juventus Preview

The UEFA Champions League returns tonight and it promises to be a fantastic night at Paradise as Scottish champions, Celtic take on Italian giants, Juventus.  It will no doubt be a tough test for Neil Lennon's men but they should have nothing to fear.  They have already beat Barcelona at Celtic Park and came within seconds of a draw at the Nou Camp.  This is a special Celtic team with some special players and I hope they're not done with their European adventure yet. 

History would suggest that this will be a hard game for the Italians.  Celtic have faced two legged ties with Italian clubs on nine occasions and have never lost the home leg at Celtic Park.  Juventus have been to Paradise twice and lost on both occasions, most recently in 2001.  Celtic also have an exceptional record at home in the Champions League.  In 23 home games, they have lost just twice.  Both of those defeats came at the hands of Barcelona.  Neil Lennon spoke about bringing the thunder back to Celtic Park.  Not only has he succeeded in doing that, he has also gave the fans a team that can compete with the very best in Europe.

Juventus will most likely line up in their usual 3-5-2 formation.  They will be very strong throughout their team and will be very good technically.  Their midfield looks especially strong and will most likely include Andrea Pirlo, Paul Pogba and Arturo Vidal.  The battle between Pogba and Victor Wanyama in the midfield promises to be epic.  Both are young men who are built like heavyweight boxers.  It should be a fantastic watch and the winner of that battle could end up being the difference maker in the eventual result.  Another man Celtic have to be wary of is Pirlo.  Pirlo is thirty-three years old now but he's the sort of player who could play until he's forty.  He's not the quickest player in the world but he doesn't have to be.  All the speed he needs is in his brain.  He has the ability to see things that most players don't see and he also has the technical ability to make the pass.  If Celtic stand back and let Pirlo dictate the pace of the game then they may as well concede the tie before kick off.  Pirlo is the sort of player who warrants special attention and Neil Lennon will need a plan to reduce his impact on the outcome.

Most Celtic fans seem to be favouring a 4-3-3 but I expect to see Celtic line up in the 4-4-1-1 that served us so well in the group stages.  If it was good enough to beat Barcelona then I don't see why we would change things now.  My line up would be as follows:

GK : Fraser Forster - He is a top class goalkeeper and with Joe Hart making mistake after mistake it should only be a matter of time before he is England's number one.

RB : Adam Matthews - Matthews is probably a better attacker than defender but his pace usually gets him out of trouble and he deserves a start.

LB : Emilio Izaguirre - Similar to Matthews in that his pace is his best asset in defending.  He hasn't been as good since his injury but is still the best left-back at the club.

CB : Kelvin Wilson - Wilson has grown into his role at the club and has come a long way since a poor start to his Celtic career.  He is quick too and it's an asset I like in a centre-back.

CB : Mikael Lustig - Realistically, if Nigeria hadn't done so well in the African Cup of Nations he would have been playing right-back but as it is I'd expect him to partner Wilson at the heart of the defence.  Efe Ambrose is a good player but I can't see how Celtic can put a player into the biggest game of the season who has had the lack o preparation that he has.

RM : Scott Brown - The skipper will most likely start on the right but with Juventus playing three in the middle as well as wing-backs, I expect we will see him drift from right to middle when required.  Personally, I'd put him in the middle and play Forrest here but I'd be very surprised if Lennon does that.

LM : Charlie Mulgrew - Mulgrew's set pieces will have a big impact on this game and he can play just about everywhere but for this occasion, I think the left wings the place for him.  Like Brown, I don't think he will be restricted to the wing and will come inside when required but he will start out wide.

CM : Victor Wanyama - What a find he was?  Wanyama cost peanuts when he moved to Celtic from Germinal Beerschot but he has been a fantastic signing and is a massive reason that Celtic are at this stage in the competition.  For anyone who still doubts how good he is, just watch the Barcelona games were he was the best midfielder on show in both games.

CM : Joe Ledley - Ledley's at his best when you don't really notice him.  He just quietly gets on with things but when he's played in centre-midfield he never lets the team down.

AM : Georgios Samaras - Obviously this depends on his fitness test but I would feel a lot better about this game if the big man is playing in this role.  In this position he will have two jobs to do.  Juventus will most likely have a lot of possession and I expect Celtic to be under pressure for large periods of the game.  When he get it, we have to make it count.  Samaras is the best player we have at holding the ball up.  He can carry the ball or just hold it up to allow the midfield to get out.  He needs to be our out ball and when used in this role he has always done well.  His second job and perhaps most important job, is to babysit Andrea Pirlo.  Pirlo is an expert at finding space in the midfield and we need Samaras to shadow him when possible.  If Celtic played a normal 4-4-2 or even 4-3-3, Pirlo would just sit in the gap between the defence and his midfield colleagues and dictate the play.  With Samaras on his tail, hopefully he won't be able to do that. 

CF : Gary Hooper - Hooper is perfect for this role.  He has pace, can play football when required and if presented with an opportunity, I'm backing him to finish it.  With three centre-backs for company it will most likely be a frustrating night for him but he only needs a second to score a goal and there's no better man for the job.

I would expect to see Kris Commons and James Forrest at some stage too.  Both are quality players and if it was up to me they would be in with a shout of starting but Neil Lennon has always favoured the cautious approach and it has got us this far so it's hard to complain.  One thing I would like to see Celtic do is try to force Juventus into a 5-3-2.  By going 4-4-1-1 and having Brown and Mulgrew out wide the Juventus wing-backs will have to be careful when going forward.  If Celtic played 4-3-3, the wing-backs could push forward knowing that there's three defenders to cover Celtic's forwards and Pirlo will be just in front of them to act as a spare man.  With a 4-4-1-1, the wing-backs will know that Celtic have Samaras and Hooper ready to attack as well as two wide men and that would leave the Italians short at the back.  By doing this Celtic will be narrowing the areas they have to defend and when required, Brown and Mulgrew have plenty of experience in central areas and will be more than capable of providing the necessary cover. 

Prediction - It's a hard one to call.  Celtic need to respect Juventus as they are technically superior but we are well capable of causing them problems.  I can't see there being a lot of goals in this one and can see 0-0 or 1-0 to either side.  I'll put my neck on the line and go with a 1-0 win to the bhoys in green and white.     

UEFA Champions League - Celtic v Spartak Moscow Preview

Celtic finish their Champions League group stage campaign tonight and they still have a great chance of qualifying for the knockout stage for the first time since the 2007/08 season.  The equation is simple, Celtic have to get a better result at home to Spartak Moscow than Benfica get away to Barcelona.  Barcelona are already through to the last sixteen and will rest Javier Mascherano, Jordi Alba, Xavi, Andres Iniesta , Cesc Fabregas and Pedro Rodriguez.  Having said that, Barcelona will still have a strong squad to choose from and they have a great record against Portuguese teams at home, winning their last ten.

Celtic cannot afford to worry about what happens in Spain and must concentrate on doing their own job.  Spartak Moscow have had a bad campaign but on their day they can cause problems.  Celtic won in Moscow which kick started this campaign and another win should be enough to take the hoops through. 

In the last game I believe Neil Lennon got the tactics wrong.  The win over Barcelona gave him the confidence to think he could go to Portugal and play 4-4-2.  The difference between the Benfica style and the Barcelona style is width.  Benfica play with wingers who have their heels on the touchline.  Barca don't rely on wingers and play a much more narrow style.  Even when they get the ball out wide, nine times out of ten they'll play it back to the edge of the box.  Against Barcelona Celtic played 4-4-1-1 and defended their own half and the width of the penalty box.  The 4-4-1-1 meant for much of the game they had ten men behind the ball, defending a relatively small area.  Against Benfica Celtic had to defend the full width of the pitch and the 4-4-2 meant they only had nine men behind the ball.  With less bodies and a larger area to cover, Celtic found it very difficult to contain Benfica.  Both sides dominated possession against Celtic but Benfica carried a bigger threat in the attacking third as they had more spaces to exploit.

In tonights game I would like to see Lennon return to the 4-4-1-1 that has served us so well in Europe this year.  I know it's a home game but I just don't think 4-4-2 works any more on the European or international stage.  The teams from mainland Europe are all technically better than the teams from UK/Ireland.  We see it in Europe all the time and England and Ireland experienced it in the Euros.  These sides all line up with one thing in common, three central midfielders.  It might be 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1, 4-5-1 but almost always, they will have three players in that area.  Most games are dominated by whoever wins the midfield and my opinion is if your opponents are technically superior footballers you have to try to win the physical battle.  No matter how physical your two central midfielders are, it's going to be an impossible task to win over three men.  The opposition will always have a spare man and they have the ability to find him.  Your two players are going to be chasing shadows and will quickly become ineffective.  Celtic need to line up with a forward player in a deeper role and they have a perfect player for that job in Georgios Samaras.  Samaras is quick enough to break out from midfield when Celtic win back possession and he is a great option to have as an out ball.  If Celtic use him right, I think Samaras could be the difference between winning and losing. 

The line up I would go with is as follows.  Frazer Forster is an obvious choice in nets and the back four will most likely be Mikael Lustig, Emilio Izaguirre, Efe Ambrose and Kelvin Wilson.  The midfield will pose the biggest problem for Neil Lennon but I would expect him to line up with Scott Brown, Joe Ledley, Beram Kayal and Charlie Mulgrew.  I've already mentioned Samaras in an attacking midfield role and I would play him just behind Gary Hooper who was fantastic in Moscow.  The only other option would be starting Kris Commons ahead of Beram Kayal and playing him on the right wing and putting Brown in the middle but I would expect Kayal to start.  I expect to see Commons come on for Scott Brown at some stage but I prefer him coming off the bench on European nights.  The suspended, Victor Wanyama, will be a huge loss for Celtic and everyone will have to give a little bit extra to compensate for his absence.  Wanyama has been outstanding this season and has been instrumental in getting Celtic to this point.

Win, lose or draw tonight I hope the Celtic fans get behind the team and we don't see a repeat of the criticism Neil Lennon has had to endure from his own support.  People have short memories and a wee bit of success goes to their head.  The league form has been poor but Celtic are most definitely not the first team to struggle to be competitive domestically and in Europe.  Better teams than Celtic have struggled to juggle the two competitions and with our former rivals no longer with us, we can afford to put all our eggs into the European basket for a few months.  Celtic are in a much better position than we were when Neil Lennon was appointed and in my opinion he is doing a fantastic job.  Lennon's team is a work in progress and this Champions League campaign will have made them better players and I can see bright futures in football for quite a few of the squad.      

When the Champions League draw was made I set a target of European football after Christmas.  We have already guaranteed that so let's raise the bar a little and lift the target to Champions League football after Christmas.  Either way Neil Lennon and his team have done themselves proud this year and I for one will never forget the joy and relief when that final whistle blew at Celtic Park on 7th November 2012.