Celtic v HJK Helsinki - Wed, 1 Aug K/O 19.45 - Live on Premier Sports.

Any Finnish lads on here to fill us in about this mob.if we have any real ambitions of getting to the group stage,this should be an easy game as the next round will defo be harder

 

Schalke won 6-1 second leg, going by a quick check. Helsinki won the first leg, which is * scary in truth!

Home leg crucial for us, going by their record there.

 

Just to throw my 2 cents in, here's Helsinki's last 5 results in their league - Lose, Draw, Draw, Draw, Lose.

 

Mika Vayrynen is a player i have heard of. This team will be sharp as they are halfway through their domestic season. They will have an extra yard on us it will be a tough match.

 

They play on astroturf which will be something different for us to contend with.

 

We should beat them. But of course you shouldnt underestimate them, that's what Schalke did last season and lost the first game 2-0 in Helsinki, but Schalke wan the second match in Gelschenkirshen byt 5-1 (or 6-1) and got through.

 

are we home or away 1st?

 

Their main striker is makela who was a complete failure with hearts a couple of years ago. We should really be winning this.

 

The boy Makela who plays up front for them used to be at the Jambos, from recollection. Did nothing there. Has a good scoring record for HJK at least. Scored a hat trick in previous qualifying round. Will need to be watched like a hawk by........Kelvin Wilson as we have not bought a recognised and competent CB.

*.

 

Helsinki are not that *. Last season they beat Shalke 04 2-0 at home, before losing 6-1 away. They are also in the middle of their season, and play on an artificial pitch, which will definitely help them. It is very important that we beat them relatively comfortably at home.

That said, they are 5 places lower than Motherwell in the UEFA rankings...

Here are some highlights of their 7 nil first round win.

http://t.co/jhm3E9dL

 

That number 26 (Demba Savage) looks like he could cause problems. Looks fast and direct.

They look decent on the counter attack.

 

We have Rogne, Mulgrew and Wanyama. Kelvin Wilson will not play..... I hope
Makela scored 2 goals in 20 games for Hearts according to Wiki. Failed to score in 8 caps for Finland.

 

Feel nervous already.

I hate this time of year!

 

how many times do celtic have to learn about spending money to get in champions league

 

From their Wiki page:

 

Their league record so far after 17 games is 9 wins,3 draws and 5 defeats.i would be horrified if we dropped that many points in 17 games.we really shouldn't be getting too worried especially as its the same players who did so well in Europa group stages.our only problem is being ready mentally

 

Keep an eye out on Joel Pohjanpalo, 17 year old striker, he scored 2 goals in the first leg against KR. Also scored a perfect hat-trick (left foot, right foot, header) in three minutes on the opening day of the season, was on trial at Liverpool previously.

 

Don't know about the football, but Helsinki is a great place to visit, the people are very friendly, especialy the women........loved it!!!

 

I don't forsee any problems here. Very confident of a positive outcome! 'Mon the Hoops!!!!

 

Wikipedia is fantastic when it comes to making people like us look like connoisseurs of the football world!