Ferencvaros boss Balazs Borbely aware of what awaits his side at Celtic Park
There is no chance of Ferencvaros head coach Balazs Borbely underestimating Celtic ahead of Thursday’s Europa League opener because he knows from experience how dangerous a European night at Celtic Park can be.
The 46-year-old Slovak was part of the Artmedia Bratislava team that almost squandered a 5-0 first-leg advantage away to the Hoops in a Champions League qualifier in 2005 before holding on for a 5-4 aggregate win over Gordon Strachan’s side.
“My memories of that are quite positive because we qualified for the next round but I remember that it was a really tough game,” said Borbely, whose side are a point off the top of the fledgling Hungarian table with a game in hand.
“After 5-0 in Bratislava, we were losing 4-0 and there was about 10 minutes left. It was a really tough game, but in general, the memories are really positive.
“I was lucky to experience the Celtic Park atmosphere as a player. I know what is waiting for our players, but this is not our first difficult game in Europe so I expect a brave performance.”
Ferencvaros midfielder Daniel Arzani is another who has prior experience of Celtic Park after the Australian made two appearances for the Hoops in an injury-disrupted two years on loan from Manchester City between 2018 and 2020.
“I’m really excited to be back here,” said the 27-year-old, who was a squad-mate of current Hoops trio Callum McGregor, James Forrest and Tony Ralston. “It’s an incredible atmosphere and a club with a lot of history. Personally, it was a difficult period for me being here.
“I was 19 years old, I had a cruciate ligament injury on my debut. But I’m happy to be back and walking out into the stadium there felt surreal.
“For me it’s just a little bit nostalgic. I’m just excited to get out there and play.
“I know the atmosphere is going to be incredible. We’re not just here for the fun of it. I think we can give it a really good shot.”
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