Celtic will not face a defensive Astana side, says Stanimir Stoilov
Wednesday 3 August 2016 08:32, UK
Stanimir Stoilov insists his FC Astana side will not replicate the defensive approach of fellow Kazakh side Shakhter Karagandy at Celtic Park on Wednesday.
The Bulgarian's team go into the second leg of their Champions League third round qualifier against Celtic with Brendan Rodgers' side having secured a vital away goal in the 1-1 draw last week.
Three years ago Shakhter Karagandy won 2-0 in the first leg of their Champions League play-off against the Hoops but buckled in the return game in Glasgow, losing 3-0 with James Forrest scoring the winner in stoppage time.
Before his squad trained at Celtic Park, Stoilov claimed his men would be more positive.
"I was in Bulgaria when Karagandy played in this arena," he said. "I thought the negative result was due to the poor performance they showed in the game and I will do my best to avoid these mistakes tomorrow in order to avoid this result.
Live SPFL Football
"The main fault of Karagandy is that they were defensive for 90 minutes but we will try to defend and attack during the game.
"We understand that it will be a hard game tomorrow. It's important and we need to show beautiful football to get a result."
The Kazakhstan champions arrived in Glasgow still irked by the clash between Leigh Griffiths and defender Igor Shitov in the Astana Arena which earned the Parkhead striker a yellow card.
Shitov was quoted as saying: "Griffiths hit me and what happened should have been a red card. He should be suspended for this match."
Stoilov added: "Me and the team watched that episode from the game after the match and this type of behaviour is unacceptable during the game.
"At the same time the referee is in charge of the game and he is the only one to make the decisions. But this type of behaviour should not be repeated because it serves as a bad example."
The five-hour time difference means the match will kick-off at 12.45am Kazakhstan time but Stoilov, whose side made the group stages of the competition last season where they met Benfica, Atletico Madrid and Galatasaray, refused to make excuses in advance.
"Tiredness due to travelling and time difference and such other factors can't be some sort of excuse for the team or for me," he said. "In order to maintain the positive atmosphere in the squad, I don't want to discuss such issues with my players."
