Barcelona (3) v Celtic (2)GORDON STRACHAN is hoping his players will be inspired rather than overawed by the prospect of playing Barcelona at the Camp Nou tonight. Trailing 3-2 from the first leg in Glasgow 13 days ago, Celtic are, by the manager's admission, facing a climb "almost as high as Mount Everest" as they try to become the first Scottish club to progress to the last eight of the Champions League.
How his squad, relatively inexperienced in Europe, cope with the pressure of one of world football's most illustrious venues is uppermost in Strachan's mind.
"I hope the occasion inspires them," the manager explained. "There is nothing wrong with a bit of fear; it can push you on to great things. I hope they set out with fear, determination and excitement.
"When you don't have the ball, you want fear to help you get it back because you know what will happen. When we get the ball I hope we have no fear whatsoever.
"The important thing is not to turn that fear into panic. What we need is not far off a minor miracle, but we need to score. We want to score first, even if that is five minutes before the end, and make the tie really come alive."
The magnitude of the task has not diminished Strachan's sense of humour, however. Asked to choose which Barca player he would most like to sit out the match, he replied "their goalkeeper".
"If we were to sit down and try to come up with a system that would be guaranteed to beat Barcelona, we'd probably end up with 14 players," added Strachan. "They have had every sort of tactic and system played against them, but they still manage to win most of the time."
Barca are five points from the summit of La Liga having suffered a 4-2 defeat to Atletico Madrid at the weekend. Yesterday their manager, Frank Rijkaard, dismissed any notion that European competition has taken on added significance with Real Madrid emerging as favourites to retain the Spanish championship.
"We are still working and pushing to win all competitions," he said. "They are all important to us. We are still fighting for the league and for the Champions League."
His future may be the subject of European-wide scrutiny, but the Dutchman was unwilling to respond to suggestions that he will agree to take over as the Chelsea manager in the summer.
"I am aware of those rumours," said Rijkaard, who is widely expected to leave his job at the end of the season. "But they are just rumours. They have not affected the team and they have not affected me. Right now, I am just concentrating on results on the pitch. I am not thinking about anything else."
Mark Wilson is likely to start his first match since last September at right back for the visitors because of Andreas Hinkel's ineligibility.
Lionel Messi, who scored twice in Glasgow but started Saturday's defeat in Madrid as a substitute, should return for Barca despite being one booking away from a Champions League suspension.
Deco and Yaya Toure should also be back after missing that match, but Rafael Marquez, who has not played since he picked up an injury in the first leg, is likely to remain absent.
