Celtic v Hapoel Be'er Sheva preview: Erik Sviatchenko returns, Nir Bitton also included in squad
Wednesday 17 August 2016 23:10, UK
Celtic will be desperate to avoid the heartache of the last two seasons and make it to the Champions League group stages at the expense of Hapoel Be'er Sheva.
The Scottish champions missed out to Maribor and Malmo during Ronny Deila's reign but Brendan Rodgers' arrival has instilled a fresh belief around Parkhead that they can prevail over two legs.
Before the first leg of the playoff at Parkhead, Rodgers said: "We get to Wednesday in a really good position. It's the final step and it's a big step we need to take.
"I saw the games towards the end of the season and the team wasn't in a good place. When I took the job, I looked forward to see how they would develop and cope with what I wanted.
"Now we have a mentality at the club of dominance, of wanting to be aggressive and press, and we play without fear. Now there's more hard work to do.
"I'm a supporter who stepped out from the stands onto the side of the field, but also a professional.
"We want to do the best we possibly can. It will be a special atmosphere, support for our players will be fantastic. This is a club synonymous around the world with the European Cup."
It will not be easy against the Israeli champions, who beat runaway Greek league winners Olympiakos 1-0 on aggregate in the previous round and secured their first Israeli title in 40 years last season on the back of a 29-match unbeaten run.
Hapoel Be'er Sheva boss Barak Bakhar said: "We are not favourites. It would be a joke to say we are favourites.
"A club like Celtic doesn't feel pressure. It's been in this stage many times before. We have pressure but it's positive pressure and we want to play a significant part in the match.
"Celtic know we beat Olympiacos so they are going to come ready. We had some good moments against Olympiacos in our away game and we want to attack here. We know the importance of an away goal."
Team news
Celtic have been lifted by the news that Erik Sviatchenko - who has not played since the win over Lincoln Red Imps - is back in the squad. Rodgers said: "He trained the last few days and looks strong and fit now." Nir Bitton is also in the squad but Dedryck Boyata will not be risked.
Patrick Roberts is also unlikely to feature nor will new signing Dorus de Vries, meaning Craig Gordon will start in goal. Efe Ambrose will not feature having been omitted from the Champions League squad at the expense of De Vries.
Nigerian striker Anthony Nwakaeme and former Chelsea graduate Ben Sahar - who will be familiar to Rodgers from his time at Stamford Bridge - will be the Hapoel dangermen.
Captain and last season's top scorer Elyaniv Barda is injured and key Portuguese defender Miguel Vitor is also a major doubt.
Statistics
Celtic's record in five UEFA Champions League play-offs is W2 L3. The wins were against Helsingborg (2012/13) and Shakhter Karagandy (2013/14); the defeats coming against Malmo (2015/16), Maribor (2014/15) and Arsenal (2009/10).
Hapoel Be'er-Sheva defeated Sheriff and Olympiacos in the second and third qualifying rounds respectively; they won their home games and drew both away fixtures 0-0.
Hapoel conceded more than one goal just six times in the 49 matches last season.
Betting
Celtic are 4/6 to win on Wednesday night with Sky Bet, the visitors can be backed at 4/1 while a draw is 5/2. To qualify over two legs, Celtic are priced at 2/5 with Hapoel available at 7/4.
