RONNY DEILA will return to his homeland this week with his Celtic side in tow, but the Norwegian has insisted that his soujourn to Molde will be an affair of the head and not the heart.

The 40-year-old has maintained that there is no emotional pull as he looks to show his fellow countrymen just how far he has come with Celtic. Instead, his focus lies on digging a passage out of the Europa League group stages for the Parkhead side who harbour aspirations of still being involved in the tournament as it heads into the knockout stages.

“If I was going back to Stromsgodset or back to Odd where I played for many years I think it would be quite emotional but it is not the same going to play Molde,” said Deila. “It is not so close to me which I think makes it easier.

“I am not thinking about me or the fact I am going to Norway but just that I am going into a game that I want to win. There is nothing different about it.”

The double header against Molde, the predicted whipping boys of the group when the draw was made, could be the key to Celtic’s progression.

Having beaten Fenerbahce in Istanbul and kept Ajax to a draw in Molde, the Norwegians have shown that they are team not to be dismissed quite so readily as they might have been before a ball was kicked in the group.

As their domestic season heads into its final weeks, they currently sit in 7th spot, a distance off the top of the table where they were this time 12 months ago. Having won the Norwegian title last term, they have found it tough to maintain that level of form, although losing their manager, Tor Ole Skullerud and replacing him with Erling Moe, midway through the campaign did not help them.

Similarly, the sale of forward Daniel Chukwu to Chinese side Shanghai Shenxin and the long-term injury sustained by Fredrik Gulbrandsen denied them two players who had netted 23 league goals over the previous title winning season.

Deila, though, is well-versed in the threat that they will pose for Celtic.

The Parkhead side have slowly started to recapture some fluency domestically but in Europe they have shown a frustrating inability to hold a lead when in command of a game.

In their last four European games, the Hoops have conceded two goals in each – and allowed both Malmo and Fenerbahce back into games where they ought to have been dead and buried.

Celtic need to eliminate the sloppy individual mistakes that have been their undoing in Europe under Deila but the Norwegian remains insistent that his side will hold their own against his compatriots.

“I always feel confident in this group of players,” he said.

“They are a small club compared to the others so I can understand why they are seen as the outsiders in the group. It is because of that I think they have been able to play without pressure. “They play quite defensively and they are strong and then they try to make the most of their counter-atttacks. They are well organised and they are a tough team to break down but I have faith in my own team. We are improving. We are getting better all the time and getting stronger.

“We want the same tempo that we showed against Malmo in the first-half in Glasgow, the same desire that we showed against Fenerbahce for the first 45 minutes.

“It is always hard to stay at that level for a whole game but what we can do is work on our focus and concentration.”

One possible for concern for the Celtic manager may have been the artifical surface that was installed in Molde’s ground last year.

Deila’s was recently critical of the playing conditions at Hamilton Accies after Celtic’s recent victory but he has dismissed any fears that the surface will affect how his side approach the game.

“It is a very good pitch,” he said. “I have actually been on it before and it is the best artificial surface you can get. I think it will not cause us problems but of course it is important that we will get the chance to train and prepare on it the day before the game.

“That will let us find our feet on it but it is not something I am concerned about at the minute.”

Deila will re-acquaint himself with striker Ola Kamara, a player he had at Stromsgodset when he was manager.

Kamara, currently on-loan at the club from Austria Vienna has been overlooked for a starting berth in Molde’s previous two Europa League games with Tommy Hoiland preferred as a loan striker.

“I had him for nearly four years at Stromsgodset,” explained Deila. “He is a good lad and I know him well but I haven’t spoken to him. Maybe after the game. I wish him well – but hopefully he won’t be on the winning side on Thursday night.”