Man City legend Mike Summerbee reckons his old club will THRIVE in the Parkhead cauldron rather than be intimidated by it. Celtic welcome Pep Guardiola’s men on Champions League duty tomorrow night, looking to bounce back from their thrashing by Barcelona in the Nou Camp last time around.

A packed house of 60,000 will roar Brendan Rodgers’ side to the rafters but Summerbee, now working as an ambassador at the Etihad, thinks that special atmosphere could actually help the City players as they look to win their 11th game of a perfect season.

He told Times Sport: “There’s always a fantastic atmosphere at Celtic Park and it seems wherever the Celtic fans go they make a brilliant noise. Sometimes, though, it can be an advantage for the opposing team to play in such a great atmosphere. It certainly was when I played. You used to love those big occasions and even if the majority of the fans weren’t there to support your side, you still revelled in the moment. And I’m sure Pep and his players will love playing in front of a packed house at Celtic Park. These are the moments you savour as a player.

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“I’m sure the Celtic fans will appreciate the way City try to play. From what I’ve seen Brendan Rodgers is trying to do the same at Celtic, passing the ball about nicely and playing attractive football. From that point of view it should be a great game to watch. Celtic will be up for it and no games at this level are ever easy. We won’t be taking anything for granted as it will be a tough game.

“Celtic can perform at this level as well, they can lift their game for these occasions. I know City will be approaching it the same way as if they were playing Manchester United or any Premier League club.”

Guardiola has made an instant impact at City and Summerbee, who played for the club between 1965 and 1975, thinks a lot of that is down to the former Barcelona and Bayern manager’s personal touch.

He added: “I watch him in training and I find it brilliant to see him working the way he does and how the players respond to that. I had Malcolm Allison as my coach and he was seen as being before his time. He was very good. But Pep is really top notch. He’s hands-on with everything on the coaching field, always wanting to put his own stamp on it. It’s something special watching him get his message over. It’s only been a short time but already you can see his influence in all aspects of the club.

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“I’ve met him a few times now and as a person he’s a very nice man as well. I like it when a player come off in the game and he pats them on the back and offers congratulations, and after a game he gets everyone on the pitch – the coaching staff too – and gets them over to applaud the fans. And I think that’s hugely important, bringing the fans and the team closer together.”

Summerbee is a regular in Glasgow on business and hopes he can catch up with some old friends on this visit north. He added: “I go up to Glasgow quite often as I do a lot of business on Duke Street. Sometimes I meet up with Willie Henderson for a chat – not a night out, those days are long gone! I’m looking forward to getting up to Celtic Park this time. I remember playing against the likes of Tommy Gemmell and Billy McNeill for England against Scotland and made some great friendships from those days.”