Scott Sinclair!

Our best player by quite a bit for me, a class act.

Can't wait till he hits form...

 

Looks back to his best, wouldn't surprise me if he won player of the year again.

 

Well done Scotty

 

Scott Sinclair hopes the Champions League will give him a platform to convince Gareth Southgate he is worthy of an England call-up.

The Celtic winger will share top billing with the world’s most expensive player on Tuesday as Paris Saint-Germain and their new £198million striker Neymar visit Glasgow.

Sinclair, who scored 25 goals and claimed a clean sweep of Scotland’s various player of the year awards last season, hopes England boss Southgate will be watching.


He said: ‘Could the Champions League give me a chance with England? All I can do is concentrate on what I’m doing, playing as well as I can at Celtic. You see others picked and wonder. I’m sure I’m more likely to be spotted in the Champions League.’

Sinclair has struck eight times this season, his latest goals coming in the shape of a double in the 4-1 win over Hamilton Accies on Friday.

 

If coming to play in Scotland can feel like a step into the wilderness, Champions League football can bring a player back into the spotlight again.

In many ways Scott Sinclair’s missing years came in England when he was kicking his heels in reserve squads at Manchester City and Aston Villa. As the upward trajectory of his career has taken hold at Celtic, however, there remains an indifference south of the border to Trebles or player of the year baubles.

On Tuesday night, though, when Paris Saint-Germain come to town, Sinclair can grace the stage that stands front and centre in football circles.

Serving a reminder to Gareth Southgate about the pace and menace he can add to a team can best be done in the Champions League. Sinclair represented his country at youth and Under-21 level and he was also a part of the Great Britain Olympic team in 2012.

“That’s the question,” said the 28-year-old, who took his tally to eight goals for the season in Celtic’s Friday night 4-1 win over Hamilton Accies. “All I can do is concentrate on what I’m doing. That means playing as well as I can for Celtic and seeing what happens.

“The Champions League is the stage. If I do well then it is just a case of waiting to see what happens.”

That bar will be raised considerably from Friday night when PSG line up in Glasgow on Tuesday. The French side have dominated the transfer news this summer having lured Neymar and Kylian Mbappe to the club for eye-watering sums.

This will be Celtic’s second experience of Europe’s premier competition under Brendan Rodgers and Sinclair believes they are now better equipped for the test.

“It is a great platform for us to show what we are all about,” he said. “We need to step up to the plate and get a result. I’d like to think we have improved since last season. We are a stronger group and hopefully we can learn from the mistakes last year.”

Historically, Celtic have risen to the fore on their own turf in the Champions League and while Sinclair was appreciative of the fact that no atmosphere, regardless of how vocal it may be, can really intimidate players who ply their trade in the upper echelons of the game, he did believe it helped give home players energy.

“It is all about belief,” he said. “When we go into the games with our fans right behind us it spurs us right on. The crowd are unbelievable. There is no better ground than paradise to play Champions League football. I’m sure it won’t faze them but it makes us raise our game.

“The crowd just lifts everyone. When you hear the Champions League music and the atmosphere with 60,000 people behind us, there is nothing better. Being part of the Champions League is what it is all about. And we are not here just to make up the numbers.”

 

Scott Sinclair will score against PSG. So long as Gordon does not let any goals at his near post we have a chance hear.

 

Named in the SPL team of the week
https://mobile.twitter.com/spfl/status/907625266436087808

 

Have a feeling he'll score tonight

 

Same. Something magical..

Rogic also is pulling away at me

 

big night for Sinclair

 

He's on form hopefully he troubles alves and the rest of their defence

 

Gotta be the worst half I've seen from him at Celtic.

 

Very disappointed in him tonight.

 

Yet he created our best chance..

 

He dribbled through the defence twice and forced two top saves. More than anyone else can say, by far our most dangerous player.

 

Caused a few problems tonight. Did better second half. Was a bit too predictable first half when he was trying to get in between the two defenders every time he got the ball.

 

He was our best player I thought, looked dangerous every time he got the ball even though he really had to run 50-60 yards by himself, still managed to do it 3 or 4 times though. He should do a bit of damage against Anderlecht if he plays like that.

 

Thought he and Roberts did pretty well in parts considering we were playing against possible winners of the competition

 

Think folk forget he was playing against a team assembled to win the whole tournament tonight and not Hearts or Motherwell. Had a go and was unlucky not to score, was never gonna get much change out of PSG.