ANDERLECHT caretaker Nicolas Frutos has told Celtic he sees their Champions League showdown this week as his personal semi-final in his quest to get the job permanently.
The Hoops travel to Belgium this week for a massive encounter in the second game in Group B, with both sides having been well beaten in their opening match.
Anderlecht have put coach and former striker Frutos in charge for four games – and he’s won his first two matches, the latest a 2-1 comeback victory on Saturday at Waasland-Beveren.
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The Argentinian coach has been told by the board he has no chance of getting the job for keeps, but Frutos has refused to accept that.
And he reckons if he wins all four games, he will become a major candidate to succeed Swiss manager Rene Weiler, who was axed last week.
He said: “Waasland-Beveren was my quarter-final, Celtic is my semi-final. It’s the third of my four matches for me to prove myself.
“I think the team are starting to rebuild their confidence and we have had some strong performances.
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“We had our goalkeeper, Frank Boeckx, to thank for winning us three points. He made five quality saves and proved he’s a great keeper.
“Now we move on to Celtic and it’s going to be a great night. I am looking forward to it enormously and it’s a massive game for me personally.”
And young Anderlecht midfielder Pieter Gerkens believes things are looking up for the Belgian champions under Frutos, after what had been a terrible start to their league campaign.
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He said: “The new coach wants to do things his way and he’s changed a lot of things.
“We got three points and we move on. To be honest, our performance was lousy, but we got the job done. Now we play a very good Celtic side and a victory against them would be a real boost to everyone at the club.”
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