On-song Ghirls looking to Top Twente | OneFootball

Just over 24 hours before Celtic’s historic first ever UEFA Women’s Champions League group game, Head Coach, Elena Sadiku and team captain, Kelly Clark met with the media at the game’s venue, Hamilton Accies’ New Douglas Park.

The first Group B encounter will see the Hoops take on Dutch champions, FC Twente with ties, both home and away, to follow against Chelsea and Real Madrid before the final game with a trip to take on this week’s opening opponents once more in The Netherlands on December 17.

But it all starts at 8pm on Tuesday night in Hamilton and despite the growing reality of the game getting ever-closer, the Swede is keeping her emotions in check.

The Head Coach said: “I treat it as a normal game, to be honest. I think the excitement was high when we got to the point of knowing we were going to play in the group stages of the Champions League.

“But right now it’s just about focusing on the game and what we need to do to perform well and try to win.

“Coming here is a dream come true. That’s something we talked about after winning the league - that we wanted to dream to get to the group stage, and to achieve this with the girls means everything to me.

“And that’s what we are always going to do – get into that mentality of we need to do what we need to do to win.

“But, obviously, to achieve more and be more successful is something that I always want to do with this team.”

She added: “I think it will be a tense game, Twente are a good side, they’ve been showing great quality in the cup game against Ajax, and in the games that they’ve played so far, so we are expecting a tough game and I am very excited to see what the game is going to look like.”

Just a week after beating Vorskla Poltava to qualify for the group stages, the Hoops also faced off against Rangers and, when 2-0 down, it looked like the Ghirls were facing defeat, but they rallied to draw 2-2 and could have taken all three points such was their comeback display.

And now, on the back of that derby, the team are now set to play FC Twente. Sadiku said: “It’s a massive confidence boost for the girls after winning against Vorskla in the second game, and playing against Rangers, I felt like we were very confident and we felt like we had it under control.

“The strength of the squad and showing the hunger of we’re not happy with this, we want to push to equalise and also win the game, I think that just shows the strength of the team and the mentality of the team.

“So that’s something that you wish for as a coach - that you have a team like us.”

That fearless quality is something that the coach hopes will materialise against the Dutch outfit, and she added:  “This is the first time we have experienced the Champions League in the group stages.

“We know we are probably one of the lowest, if not the lowest-ranked team in the group stage, so we need to feel like there is no pressure on us.

“But the pressure is coming from the fact that we want to do well, and we want to show we are a great team.

“Hopefully the thing that we can push for all the time during the game is that we want to be here and we want to fight.

“We want to make sure that we put in a great performance. So we should be excited and we should be fearless going into this game as well.”

Watch the full interview to hear the Head Coach on:

BUY TICKETS NOW

TWO-MATCH PACKAGE AVAILABLE

With the Ghirls' final Group Stage fixture against Real Madrid Femeninos also taking place at New Douglas Park on Wednesday, December 11 (KO 8pm), you can book your place at these two crucial games now with our special two-match UEFA Champions League package.

Secure your seats for both Champions League clashes for just £20 for adults and £10 for under 16s.

BUY TWO-MATCH PACKAGE

More on the game

Fixtures

Celtic Women Vs. FC Twente Women - Tue, Oct 8th 2024, 20:00 Final score: 0 - 2