Celtic travel to Malmo for the second leg of their Champions League play-off tie on Tuesday night looking to defend a narrow 3-2 advantage from the first leg.

Manager Ronny Deila says that his players are ready for the challenge and looking forward to the contest at the Swedbank Stadion.

"We have been prepared for this for a long, long time now and I am happy that now we are finally there," he said in his pre-match press conference.

"We have done a very good pre-season, we have done very good games now after this game and we have a good result, we are leading before the last game and we know we have a good chance to go through.

"So now everything is about doing the right things up to the game and having a good and clear match plan so we get the best out of our players, then I know we have a good chance.

"If you do not have nerves for games like this, then you have to do something else. That is very good to have nerves, but no fear. We are going to be ourselves and we know the quality we have in the team is enough when we are at our best."

The Scottish champions have arrived in Sweden with speculation mounting over the future of defender Virgil van Dijk, who has been linked with a move to Southampton in recent days.

However, Van Dijk is in Celtic's squad for the match, with assistant manager John Collins insisting the Dutchman is ready to line up in the visitors' back four against Malmo.

"It is water off a duck's back," Collins said. "It's what happens when you're a good player, there is always speculation.

"I'm 100 per cent sure Virgil will be focused on performing for us tomorrow night.

"He is 100 per cent ready to play. I thought he was terrific for us last week in the first leg and I have no doubt he will be terrific again tomorrow night as well."

Meanwhile, Sweden international right-back Mikael Lustig remains a big doubt for the game after picking up a hamstring strain in the first leg.

"He has made a lot of progress in the last few days and obviously we will give him right up to the last minute to see if he can make it," Collins said. "It's safe to say he is maybe 50-50."

However, Collins dismissed any fitness concerns over both Stuart Armstrong and Nir Bitton, while Deila brushed off some of the recent comments coming from the opposition since the first leg.

"It is easy (to ignore)," he said. "I do not use much energy, that is you in the media, I think it is very funny and is something for you to write about, which is good."

Malmo boss Age Hariede claimed Celtic were not fit enough, while some of their players branded the Scottish champions in unfavourable terms, including "pigs" and "children".

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"It doesn't bother me one little bit because it's about performing on the pitch, preparing for the match," Collins added. "They can say what they want, it doesn't affect me and I'm 100 per cent sure it doesn't affect our players. We don't need any extra motivation."

Hareide, though, has since attacked the Scottish media about their reporting of this story, claiming his players' words had been mispronounced and taken out of context.

And the Malmo coach also stood by his earlier remarks that Celtic would tire before the end of the match in Glasgow.

"Regarding the comments from our goalkeeper, if you travel abroad and if you are going to write about players from Sweden, Norway or Germany or Spain or France, you have to know the words," he said.

"I would call it as Markus (Rosenberg) said, it was a tough game but it was not a dirty game.

"You have to have respect for other languages as well you know.

"That is why I am upset of the press because you just translate things, put things in headlines then you get something out of it. We hadn't said it.

"It is like the goalkeeper and all the players, they can say what they want to say themselves, you know. But I stand that Celtic looked tired at the end of the game."