IT remains a source of some regret to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer that he never got the chance to grace Celtic Park as a player. But gatecrashing the stadium's executive lounges in the company of Roy Keane on Champions League nights might just have been the next best thing.
The Molde manager, who scored against Celtic in a 3-2 win at Old Trafford back in September 2006, took in a couple of Champions League matches in the East End of Glasgow in the company of his friend and former Manchester United colleague as their playing days drew to a close and gives the impression that turning up with the Irishman was the equivalent to having an access all areas pass.
"This is a fantastic place to play football and all the boys are looking forward to it," said Solskjaer. "I have only been here as a spectator before and I have never had the chance to walk out and play at Celtic Park as a player. In one way I am very envious of the players because of that. This is one of those stadiums I wish I had played in.
“But I’ve been up here to watch Celtic a couple of times with Roy Keane and it’s such a fantastic place," he added. "It’s how football should be. The atmosphere here could match the top, top clubs in the world like Man United, Barcelona and Real Madrid.
“Roy has always been a Celtic supporter and got to play for them. He always spoke very highly of them with his ties with Martin O’Neill as well. That had an impact on me watching Celtic. I came here with him for a Champions League game if I remember correctly. We sat in the directors' box because Roy always got executive tickets. In fact, I didn’t think they even asked him for a ticket when we got to the entrance. They just opened the door for him to walk straight through.”
While Celtic have won three straight matches since going down 3-1 to the Group A leaders a fortnight ago, Molde have also reeled off back-to-back wins for their new manager. With a place in next year's Europa League still a possibility, Solskjaer went with three at the back in the Tippeligaen against FK Viking last weekend and hinted he could also use the formation tonight.
"It could be Plan A or Plan C," said Solskjaer. "I have four excellent centre backs and we played three at the back at Cardiff a lot. It was a test to see if I could do that with these players because they haven't done it and let's see."
Whatever formation they end up playing, Molde will rely heavily on the lightning counter attacks which bore such fruit in Norway a fortnight ago. His is a confident squad and Solskjaer will not unduly concern himself with how the home side play. A victory on the night would be sufficient to see them take their place in the last 32.
"I am not too worried about how Celtic perform," said Solskjaer, who watched that first match from the stands one day after replacing Erling Moe as manager. " I am more concerned about how my team perform and handle the situation and playing in a stadium like this.
"It is going to be a tough game but the boys have put themselves in a fantastic position after three matches," he added. "We are playing against a form team and Ronny's side have scored plenty of goals since we last played them. They have won three games and they need to win this to have a chance of qualifying for the next phase. Sometimes that is a good position to be in. But my players can go out and sample the atmosphere and enjoy it and we don't have the pressure of knowing that we have to win. But we also do know that if we do win the game then we are through to the next round."
Solskjaer knows the pressure is on his countryman, but knows that he revels in it. The way his team performed a fortnight ago only increased the tension. “Maybe the Celtic supporters were more surprised by how good Molde’s players were than Ronnie and the players," said Solskjaer. "Our lads have earned the right to play in this group."
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