Celtic head coach Elena Sadiku is ignoring the historical past of Tuesday’s Girls’s Champions League opener towards Twente to focus solely on the match.
It’s the first time any Scottish membership has certified for this stage of European soccer and so far as Celtic have ever gone within the competitors.
“I don’t know, maybe I’m crazy that I can just focus on what I need to focus on, but it’s been very busy as well,” Sadiku stated. “It’s always another game, it’s always another game. Right now, I’m living in a wheel that is just keep going, keep going, keep going.
“I am not occupied with what now we have achieved and stuff. I’m simply specializing in how you can ensure that I’ve a correct recreation plan.”
Celtic can even face WSL winners Chelsea and Spanish giants Actual Madrid in Group B’s round-robin matches, whereas Twente are additionally newcomers to this stage of the competitors.
Tuesday may signify the perfect probability for Celtic to choose up factors however, because the lowest-ranked facet within the competitors, Sadiku believes they’ll play with out stress.
“This is the first time we experience Champions League in the group stage. There’s no pressure on us. We want to do well; we want to show that we are a great team,” she added.
“This is a different experience for us, and we should be excited. We should be fearless coming into this game as well.”
Kelly Clark isn’t any stranger to massive video games, having lifted the SWPL title as Celtic skipper on the ultimate day of the season, in addition to representing her nation on 4 events.
She by no means thought she would play at this stage and is relishing the possibility to carry out on the very best stage in Europe, though she admitted she is making an attempt not to consider the sport an excessive amount of.
Celtic skipper Kelly Clark
“Until [Tuesday] afternoon, I’m going to try and not think about it because the more you think about it, the more nervous or the more excited you get,” Clark stated. “I’ll try and take my dog a walk and switch off and stuff like that.
“When the time is true, I am going to be sure that I swap on. The very best preparation is to attempt to solely give attention to it as soon as I get right here [to the stadium] as a result of an excessive amount of occupied with it, you begin questioning every thing.”
Clark’s entire family are Celtic fans, and she admitted that makes it even sweeter that she will lead her team out – although her dad is in Lanzarote and will have to make do watching from the pub.
“I think about there will probably be some tears. A few of my household aren’t within the nation. My dad is in Lanzarote and I am genuinely shocked he isn’t paid for a flight residence but however apparently they’ll a pub who’s going to point out it for them,” she added.
“I can’t wait to go back to my phone afterwards and hear that he’s embarrassed himself in front of the entire pub with his tears for 90 minutes.
“My mum and my associate they’re going to be within the crowd and it is an enormous second clearly personally, but it surely solely means a lot due to the connection that I’ve with the membership and the historical past that now we have collectively.”
Clark also revealed the squad have received a good luck message from Celtic legend Henrik Larsson, who has been keeping a special eye on his compatriot Sadiku’s success.
“We bought a congrats from Henrik [when we qualified], that is a very vital one, and fairly cool.”
Sadiku ready to make history
Sadiku will become the youngest coach in the male or female version of the Champions League when she leads Celtic into the group stage for the first time, breaking the record set by Julian Nagelsmann with Hoffenheim in 2018.
The 30-year-old’s dreams of ever playing in Europe’s elite competition were ended by injury, her playing career was over by just 23 after 13 surgeries on her knee.
Sadika suffered an ACL injury at 19 and three months after returning she did it again on the same knee. After it happened for a third time she turned to coaching.
Celtic gained the SWPL title for the primary time final season
She had spells as an assistant of sides in China, her native Sweden and Denmark earlier than changing into a head coach in her personal proper.
The Swede give up as Everton U21 boss in January to take cost at Celtic, main them to their first Scottish Girls’s Premier League title.
She has misplaced simply as soon as within the league since transferring to Glasgow and that was in her opening recreation towards 16-time league winners Glasgow Metropolis.
Advert content material | Stream Sky Sports activities on NOW
Stream Sky Sports activities dwell with no contract on a Month or Day membership on NOW. Instantaneous entry to dwell motion from the Scottish Premiership, Premier League, EFL, F1 and a lot extra.
