Inter Milan v Celtic preview: Scots go to Italy after thrilling 3-3 draw in first leg
Thursday 26 February 2015 17:45, UK
Celtic travel to the San Siro on Thursday after a thrilling 3-3 round-of-32 first-leg draw at Parkhead against Inter Milan last week.
Ronny Deila's men need to score against the Serie A side to stand a chance of going through, but increased their hopes thanks to John Guidetti's stunning injury-time equaliser.
Celtic haven't reached the quarter-final of the competition since 2003/04, where they eventually were eliminated by Villarreal over two legs.
The Glasgow side are top of the Scottish Premiership by three points with a game in hand, and are unbeaten in their last 11 games in all competitions, winning nine of those.
Meanwhile, Roberto Mancini's Inter sit eighth in Serie A, but have won their last three domestic games, scoring nine times in the process.
Team news
Defenders Marco Andreolli and Danilo D'Ambrosio are doubtful for Mancini's side, while Jonathan, Yuto Nagatomo and Samir Handanovic are long-term absentees.
Marcelo Brozovic and former Arsenal man Lukas Podolski are ineligible for the clash, but Rodrigo Palacio, who scored twice at Parkhead, could return to the starting XI after being left on the bench for the 2-1 win at Cagliari on Monday.
For Celtic, Jason Denayer should be fit to continue his partnership in central defence alongside Virgil van Dijk, despite the defender being forced to leave the fray at half-time in Sunday’s 4-0 hammering of Hamilton.
Celtic assistant manager John Collins said they have no other fresh injury concerns ahead of the trip.
Betting
Celtic are 7/2 outsiders with Sky Bet to win the tie, making Inter 1/6 favourites overall. With the Italians boasting three away goals to their name, Celtic will most likely have to win to avoid disappointment and they’re 4/1 to do just that. Another 3-3 draw is unlikely at 66/1, with a 1-0 win for the hosts deemed the most likely outcome at 6/1 in the correct score market.
