RONNY Deila faces his biggest game as Celtic manager when the Scottish champions take on Malmo in the second leg of the Champions League play-off in Sweden.

Qualification for the group stages will be hugely lucrative for the Parkhead club - they will bank around £15 million before a ball is kicked in Europe’s premier club competition.

The money they make from wins, draws and ticket sales after that will take that figure well over the £20 million mark.

The Norwegian, whose side failed to make it through in his first season in Scotland, has confidently predicted they will win and progress on this occasion.

So how are Celtic, who hold a narrow 3-2 lead from the first leg in Glasgow last Wednesday night, going to overcome Age Hareide’s team? Chief football writer Matthew Lindsay gives his thoughts on the fixture.

RONNY DEILA SEEMS PRETTY CONFIDENT CELTIC WILL MAKE IT?

He does. He was coolness personified as he addressed the media here at the Swedbank Stadium last night. His side blew their opponents away in the opening half an hour in the first leg and could easily have gone three or even four goals in front before half-time. Deila is positive his side will score and prevail both on the night and on aggregate. With Leigh Griffiths on top form and Stefan Johansen, James Forrest, Stuart Armstrong, Tom Rogic, Kris Commons and Gary Mackay-Steven also at his disposal he has individuals who can hurt Malmo going forward. But defensively he has concerns.

MIKAEL LUSTIG BEING RULED OUT IS A BLOW?

It is. The Swedish internationalist has failed to recover from the hamstring injury which resulted in him being stretchered off in the first leg. He travelled with the squad to his homeland, but will watch the action from the stands. Much depends on how his replacement fares. But Saidy Janko is inexperienced. Having said that, Efe Ambrose isn’t a natural right back. The Nigerian, too, has been responsible for some awful howlers at the back in the past. Many Celtic fans haven’t forgiven him for his errors in the Champions League knockout tie against Juventus a couple of years ago. It is a gamble worth taking. But Celtic defended superbly away from home against Qarabag in the second leg of the third qualifying round. They will need to replicate that display to join the likes of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in the draw in Monaco tomorrow. Drafting in Charlie Mulgrew will help. He is more reliable than Emilio Izaguirre.

THERE IS REAL BAD BLOOD BETWEEN CELTIC AND MALMO AFTER THE FIRST LEG?

There sure is. This game was always likely to be an intense affair given what is at stake for both sides. But the comments by the Malmo players in the aftermath of the first leg has cranked things up a bit. They described their Celtic counterparts as “childish” and “pigs”. Leigh Griffiths was called a “brat”. The Scotland internationalist has insisted they will not rise to their opponents’ blatant bid to unsettle and anger them. They will certainly need to keep cool heads in order to perform to the best of their abilities. Scott Brown was targeted for some special attention six days ago. But the captain kept his composure admirably. He will need to lead by example and do the same thing again.

HOW WILL CELTIC APPROACH THIS GAME?

Ronny Deila doesn’t do cautious. He has vowed to stay true to his football beliefs and attack. Given the firepower he has at his disposal and the defensive frailties his charges sometimes show, that might not be the worst tactic. Malmo will be stronger than they were last week. Their talismanic captain and striker Markus Rosenberg is back following a suspension and will lead the line. That will lift the home team and their supporters. Scoring early on and silencing the partisan crowd in the Swedbank Stadium would be beneficial.

SCORE PREDICTION

Malmo 1, Celtic 1