SPL: CELTIC manager Tony Mowbray will take no notice of the convincing home win over St Johnstone on Saturday when he writes out the team ahead of the Champions League play-off clash with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night.
Celtic trail 2-0 from the first leg in Glasgow and few give them a chance in London, but they warmed up with a 5-2 win over the Premier League new boys at Celtic Park.
Marc-Antoine Fortune and Scott McDonald were reinstated to the side after being dropped for the visit of Arsenal and both found the net, with the former Nancy striker scoring his first two goals since his move from the French club in the summer.
Shaun Maloney also grabbed a double, with Collin Samuel and Jody Morris scoring consolations for the visitors.
Mowbray then turned his attention to Arsenal, revealing that his starting 11 is already picked.
“When the Arsenal tie came out, my idea of how the team might play was settled pretty quickly,” Mowbray said.
“The result of the first leg alters your thought patterns of how you might set up in the second leg. If we had been sitting here 2-0 up, then I would probably play a different team to one that is 2-0 down and having to score some goals. But I am pretty clear in my mind what my team will be next Wednesday.
“I understand that if we lose 2-0 again, I will be judged to have got the team wrong again but if we win 3-0 then hopefully everyone will be pretty happy.”
Mowbray will be without Cameroon international Landry N’Guemo through suspension, but the Celtic manager claimed that was not the only reason he was left out of the St Johnstone game.
“It was partly that,” Mowbray said.
“But he has two international games coming up halfway round the world and if you have the opportunity to look after your players, you take it.”
Meanwhile, Kris Boyd snatched a dramatic last-gasp 2-1 victory for 10-man Rangers yesterday within seconds of coming on the park as the Scottish champions staged an incredible comeback against Hearts. Boyd’s injury-time penalty secured victory in an explosive encounter at Tynecastle after Rangers midfielder Kevin Thomson was sent off for a lunge on Ian Black.
