Celtic's Europa League chances will begin to crystallise one way or another in the Aker Stadium in Molde this evening. What might have been regarded as one of the more low-key encounters in the Parkhead club's campaign has been enlivened no end by the arrival of Manchester United legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for his second spell as Molde manager on the eve of the match, allowing him to renew his ongoing rivalry with Celtic manager Ronny Deila. The two men battled it out for the Norwegian league title between 2011 and 2013, with Solskjaer winning twice before Deila famously got the better of him with Stromsgodset.
If Solskjaer's arrival, with just three domestic matches left to play in a disappointing season which sees them sit back in seventh, is a statement of intent to qualify for the Europa League last 32, both sides have cause to take this competition seriously. While Deila still has a league challenge to concentrate on, he dearly needs some continental success after Champions League setbacks to Legia Warsaw and Maribor last year, and Malmo this year. It is his first return to Norway on football business since leaving for Scotland just shy of 18 months ago.
PIVOTAL PLAYERS
Ola Kamara is a man which Deila and Celtic know a well. The Norwegian striker of Sierra Leone descent scored the goals which took Deila and Stefan Johanssen's Stromsgodset side over the line for their famous Tippeligaen triumph, and while a big move to Austria Vienna hasn't exactly paid out, he is back in decent scoring form for Molde. Regardless of which personnel group Deila chooses, supported by the livewire young forward Sander Svendsen, Celtic's defenders will need to earn their corn to keep him out. While Charlie Mulgrew didn't travel, the Parkhead manager has a dilemma over whether to recall Jozo Simunovic, his big-money Croatian central defender, after a month out with an ankle problem, to risk it on an artifical surface, or stick with a callow central defensive pairing of Dedryck Boyata and Tyler Blackett. Efe Ambrose is another option in there but Deila must decide whether he can still trust him in there following his crucial mistake against Fenerbahce.
TACTICAL BATTLE
Solskjaer has said he will stick with caretaker Erling Moe's side for this match, and let him do must of the talking, which means they should be along similar lines. Celtic expect to have plenty of the ball, with Molde attempting to hit them on the counter attack, but the jousting between these two young Norwegian coaches in the technical areas should be fascinating. A draw wouldn't be a disaster for either side but both men would dearly love to get the win.
Aside from the quandary of how to protect his defence from the mistakes which have been their Achilles heel, Celtic will need to breach a Molde defence which has conceded just twice so far in this competition. He will likely elect to squeeze both Kris Commons and Stefan Johansen into his line-up, with the latter needing to step up his unconvincing early season form and produce a big performance back in his homeland. Up front Leigh Griffiths is fit to return and assuming he gets the nod over last weekend's goalscorer Nadir Ciftci, the onus will be on the striker to get the better of Norwegian international mainstay Vegard Forren. Right back Martin Linnes is another international team-mate of Johansens.
KEY CLASH
Scott Brown versus Daniel Berg Hestad.
The Celtic captain was back to his best at Motherwell on Saturday, bossing the match in a manner in which drew hyperbole from Deila. He certainly showed no ill effects from the recent ankle injury which has been dogging him and another excellent shift from the skipper could make a huge difference to Celtic here, in a stadium where Brown scored a winner for Scotland back in 2013. Facing him is a man older than his manager. Daniel Berg Hestad is 40 years of age, has more appearances for Molde or in the Norwegian top flight than any other man, and is said to exert the kind of influence on this team that Ryan Giggs did on Manchester United during his latter years.
SCORE PREDICTION
Molde 1 Celtic 2
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