Scott Brown warns Manchester City to expect a more aggressive Celtic

Posted Wednesday, September 28, 2016 by PA

Skipper Scott Brown wants Celtic to replace admiration with assertion when they take on Manchester City in the Champions League at Parkhead on Wednesday night.

Brendan Rodgers' side were hammered 7-0 in their Group C opener against Barcelona and come up against a high-flying Sky Blues side who have won their first 10 games of the season under new boss Pep Guardiola.

Northern Irishman Rodgers claimed his side were too passive in the Nou Camp and Brown knows it has to be different against the Premier League leaders.

The 31-year-old midfielder said: "It's about getting touch tight. We sat off Barcelona and admired them more than anything, letting them play and show what good players can do to you if you sit off them.

"We need to get touch tight, get our bodies in and try to win the battles all over the park. 'We're going to have to work as a team. We're going to have defend a lot better than the last Champions League game, we're going to have to composed on the ball and take our chances if we get them.

"Watching them this season, City have changed their style of play. Guardiola has come in and brought a different style for them which seems to be working in the Premier League so far.

"We've got a gaffer who's tried a different style for us and it's been working in the Premiership. 'It will be a good proper game of football, both teams like to get the ball down and play it.

"It's always going to be hard playing against good players, but we need to show our qualities and step the game up a little bit."

Guardiola is expecting a more intense contest than Celtic supplied against his former club at the Nou Camp.

The Spaniard was an interested onlooker when Celtic won a typically feisty Old Firm against Rangers and Guardiola has told his players to expect to face a similar battle.

"I completely agree with what Brendan Rodgers said, many many teams suffer the same as what happened in Barcelona," he said.

"You cannot imagine how many goals Barcelona can score in five minutes but tomorrow for 92-94 minutes they will be focused so it will be completely different.

"It is not easy. I saw the game against Rangers here, how intensive it was. 'It was completely different to the way they played in Barcelona, which was more passive.

"Against Rangers it was so aggressive, high pressing, that is the game we are going to expect from them tomorrow night."

City will be without injured trio Kevin De Bruyne, Vincent Kompany and Fabian Delph.

De Bruyne suffered a hamstring injury in Saturday's 3-1 Premier League win at Swansea while club captain Kompany suffered a groin injury in last Wednesday's EFL Cup third-round win against the Swans.

Guardiola expects both to be back in up to "three and a half weeks" while hoping that Delph should have recovered from his muscle injury in time for the Everton game after the international break.

Guardiola also confirmed that Belgian duo Kompany and De Bruyne had flown to Barcelona to see top surgeon Dr Ramon Cugat.

He said: "They are injured but we are going to do our best to recover them as soon as possible.

"Maybe two, three, three and half weeks both will be ready with us. 'We have a doctor Max Sala and this year we have an assistant Eduardo Mauri who came into join us because one doctor all season is almost impossible.

"Ramon Cugat is the best doctor in the world and we are so lucky when we have a problem to travel to Barcelona and get his opinion and get the treatment.

"Max and Eduardo speak with Dr Cugat and in that case we are so safe."