McManus: Talks up hopes
We have taken just one point from our first two games but we will go to Old Trafford looking for a result.
McManus
Quotes of the week
Stephen McManus says Celtic have nothing to fear when they take on Manchester United at Old Trafford in their next UEFA Champions League match.
The Bhoys' hopes of progressing have suffered early blows after following up their goalless home draw with Aalborg with a 1-0 defeat to Villarreal in midweek.
Celtic's next Group E encounter sees them travel down the M6 to take on holders United and the omens are not on their side due to their dismal away record in the competition.
Gordon Strachan's side have amassed just one point in 16 away matches in the Champions League to date, but McManus says the SPL champions will not enter the Theatre of Dreams in a negative frame of mind.
"All the players are devastated but none of us believe the campaign is lost," said McManus in the Daily Record.
"Yes, we have to go to Old Trafford next and that will be a tough game. But we can go there with some confidence.
"We played well when we went down there the last time and only lost 3-2. We also felt we played well in Villarreal for a long time.
"The system was good, just as it had been in the pre-season games against Porto and Feyenoord. Maybe we'll play it again at Old Trafford.
"We have taken just one point from our first two games but we will go to Old Trafford looking for a result.
"United are a better team now then when we played them a couple of years ago. But it is a challenge we are happy to take on."
| Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Tuesday 24th November | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| 17:30 | Rubin Kazan vs Dynamo Kiev |
| 19:45 | AZ vs Olympiacos |
| 19:45 | Arsenal vs Standard Liege |
| 19:45 | Barcelona vs Inter Milan |
| 19:45 | Debrecen vs Liverpool |
| 19:45 | Fiorentina vs Lyon |
| 19:45 | Rangers vs VfB Stuttgart |
| 19:45 | Unirea Urziceni vs Sevilla |
| Wednesday 25th November | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| 17:30 | CSKA Moscow vs Wolfsburg |
| 19:45 | AC Milan vs Marseille |
| 19:45 | Apoel Nicosia vs Atletico Madrid |
| 19:45 | Bayern Munich vs Maccabi Haifa |
| 19:45 | Bordeaux vs Juventus |
| 19:45 | FC Porto vs Chelsea |
| 19:45 | Man Utd vs Besiktas |
| 19:45 | Real Madrid vs FC Zurich |
| Tuesday 8th December | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| 19:45 | Atletico Madrid vs FC Porto |
| 19:45 | Besiktas vs CSKA Moscow |
| 19:45 | Chelsea vs Apoel Nicosia |
| 19:45 | FC Zurich vs AC Milan |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Wednesday 4th November | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| Fiorentina 5 - 2 Debrecen | |
| Lyon 1 - 1 Liverpool | |
| Rubin Kazan 0 - 0 Barcelona | |
| Dynamo Kiev 1 - 2 Inter Milan | |
| Sevilla 1 - 1 VfB Stuttgart | |
| Unirea Urziceni 1 - 1 Rangers | |
| Arsenal 4 - 1 AZ | |
| Standard Liege 2 - 0 Olympiacos | |
| Tuesday 3rd November | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| Bayern Munich 0 - 2 Bordeaux | |
| Maccabi Haifa 0 - 1 Juventus | |
| Man Utd 3 - 3 CSKA Moscow | |
| Besiktas 0 - 3 Wolfsburg | |
| AC Milan 1 - 1 Real Madrid | |
| Marseille 6 - 1 FC Zurich | |
| Apoel Nicosia 0 - 1 FC Porto | |
| Atletico Madrid 2 - 2 Chelsea | |
| Wednesday 21st October | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| Bordeaux 2 - 1 Bayern Munich | |
| Juventus 1 - 0 Maccabi Haifa | |
| CSKA Moscow 0 - 1 Man Utd | |
| Wolfsburg 0 - 0 Besiktas | |
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 4 | 10 |
| 2 | Olympiakos FC | 4 | 6 |
| 3 | Standard Liege | 4 | 4 |
| 4 | AZ Alkmaar | 4 | 2 |
Bristol City fan Hannah Shine was strutting her as the Soccerette in the Soccer AM studios this week.
Preston North End fan Hazel Fox was strutting her stuff in the Soccer AM studios this week.
Sunderland fan Lucinda Gittins was strutting her stuff in the Soccer AM studios this week.
Steven Gerrard is confident Liverpool can 'put things right' and insists morale remains positive despite the team's flagging season.
Lionel Messi is a major injury worry for Barcelona ahead of their games with Inter Milan and Real Madrid.
Rangers boss Walter Smith expects Madjid Bougherra to be available for next week's clash with Stuttgart.
Rubin Kazan successfully defended their Russian Premier League title following a draw with Zenit St Petersburg.
Rangers have been hit by a Uefa fine as a result of the improper conduct of some of their supporters.