SPARTAK Moscow will find it impossible to replace their Brazilian midfielder Romulo ahead of playing Celtic next week, according to club legend Yegor Titov.

The Russians will have to face the Hoops next in the Champions League without the key player – along with Jose Manuel Jurado, captain Sergei Parshivlyuk and leading striker Welliton.

And former captain Titov – who played over 500 games for Spartak – reckons his former side will find it hard against Neil Lennon's men.

He said: "Romulo is a vital player. The team is simply not the same without him. In fact, a Spartak side with him not playing is hard to imagine.

"He is irreplaceable and Spartak will feel his loss greatly. These are significant injuries to key players and I hope they can get by."