3 days ago
Kairat Almaty warned of psychological pressure facing Celtic
And veteran boss Viktor Kumykov revealed he ordered his Shakhter Karagandy players to listen to recordings of a packed Parkhead at full volume to prepare them for what would await them.
Celtic face Kairat in the first leg of the Champions League play-offs with a £40 million prize at stake for progression.
The Hoops first played against opposition from the former Soviet nation 12 years ago and they were stunned in the first leg which had been moved to the capital of Astana, where they crashed to a 2-0 defeat.
But they eventually beat Shakhter Karagandy 3-0 at home thanks to an injury time winner from James Forrest, with the still-going-strong, highly-decorated Hoops legend proving the hero.
Shakhter Karagandy were managed by Kumykov, who is still a boss in Kazakhstan with FC Kaisar.
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And he's warned Kairat players what to expect tonight.
He said: "It will be much harder against Celtic than against Slovan Bratislava, who they played in the last round, especially away.
"They have a chance because the second leg is at home, but it depends on how they cope in Glasgow.
"We beat Celtic easily at home, but in Glasgow, we didn't have enough strength.
"It was a 16-hour journey, including connections to get there and we conceded in both halves in injury time.
"It is important for the Kairat footballers to withstand the psychological pressure.
"We prepared in Karaganda by listening to recordings of the sound of the Celtic stands, turning up the speakers at full volume.
"In 2013, Celtic were very strong - they beat Barcelona.
"They are worse now and I think Kairat have a better chance than we did back then - they are experienced in European football these days."
