CELTIC are capable of getting what would be a significant win tonight, but I think I would urge some caution ahead of the game.

It is not just that Fenerbahce are a quality side, albeit that they have had an indifferent start to the season, but also that as Celtic manager I think you have to be careful with what you say publicly.

I can understand self-belief and confidence and there are times when your players need to hear it. There are also various points in a season when you have to be prepared to stand up for yourself and your team but I think you have to counsel some caution with how your words are represented when you are in the position of Celtic manager.

It is great to hear the confidence that Ronny Deila carries and he clearly believes in his group of players. But to me you simply take things game by game, as boring and clichéd as that sounds. What you say can have a habit of coming back to bite you on the bum.

Sometimes it is fine to not say everything you might want to. You can say what you like to your players and in the dressing room and let them know just how confident you might be, but in public I tend to favour a more restrained approach. It is not what you say but what you do that counts.

It is way too early for anyone to be talking about getting out of the group. It is only the second game and while Celtic have gotten off to a decent start, there is plenty of football to be played within a group that carries a similar weight to a Champions League group.

It is unfortunate for Deila that he is not going into his first home game in the campaign with a full squad because I do think the injuries hinder Celtic. The loss of Emilio Izaguirre is further compounded by the injury to Charlie Mulgrew and, although I suspect it will be Tyler Blackett who gets the nod ahead of youngster Kieran Tierney, the Manchester United youth player is inexperienced and untested at this level.

I also think Celtic should go for a more solid trio across the middle. Nir Bitton, Stefan Johansen and Scott Brown as a solid line gives the back four a decent level of protection and allows the guys like James Forrest and Kris Commons, too, then use their influence in the wide areas.

Like most, I would fully expect that it will be Leigh Griffiths who leads the line and although he didn’t have his shooting boots on during Saturday’s draw against Hearts, he is the best option at this time.

There are times when I have encouraged the use of a front two, but in a game like this I have to say I would be very wary of being too gung-ho.

There have been all sorts of stories about Robin van Persie and the unsettling effect he has had on the Fenerbahce dressing room, but I would be reluctant to read too much into them. He is the type of quality player that Celtic would bite your hand off for and he is still more than capable of making his influence felt.

Celtic cannot afford to switch off for a second. The defensive lapses in concentration that have plagued them at times have to be eliminated because the likes of Nani and Van Persie will not need to be asked twice to exploit them.

But I do think these are the kind of games where Celtic traditionally rise to the occasion.

It is not Barcelona in the Champions League, but it is an excellent side with a strong European pedigree and I think it will assure a level of interest that goes some way to making sure the stadium is jumping. There is no suggestion that a team like Fenerbahce will be intimidated by any kind of hostile environment but I do think that a big crowd and a good atmosphere gives your own players a little bit of energy and drive.

With a very low crowd in the League Cup against Raith last week you could see that the result was there but the display was not and I do think a lot of that comes down to the crowd and the way the players feed off it.

They can help to create the scene and it is up to Celtic to put on a mature and efficient performance against one of the big names of European football.

Glasgow Times:

Dermot Desmond’s comments appear fair

THERE are times when you hear someone in Dermot Desmond’s position publicly backing their manager and you think it is actually the sounding of a death knell.

However, I have to say when I read Desmond’s comments on Ronny Deila and his confidence that the team are making progress, I believed them to be genuine.

The reason for that is he speaks in public so very rarely that I think you can trust what he says. I think there is a level of belief in what the manager is trying to do and between Deila, Desmond and Peter Lawwell, the lines of communication appear to be good.

But there is always pressure at Celtic. At times it can be difficult to cope with.

The only real way to deal with it is through results. Winning games is all that will ever matter at Celtic.

There are times when you are frustrated – I’d say the game against Hearts would be one of them – when the performance is there but the result is not.

The performance against Malmo is one which I suspect will still irritate because it is a game that Celtic could have won.

But all they can do now is try to use the Europa League to show how far they have come. It is a difficult group and Celtic will most certainly be tested within it.