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Europa League Qualifying | Playoff Round
Aug 29, 2019 at 6pm UK
 
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1-4

Larsson (33' pen.)
FT(HT: 1-2)
Forrest (17'), Johnston (34'), Jullien (87'), Morgan (93')

Neil Lennon rejects idea of defending lead in Europa League second leg

:Headline: Neil Lennon rejects idea of defending lead in Europa League second leg: ID:369581: from db_amp
The Hoops face AIK in Stockholm, with a place in the Europa League group stage at stake.

Neil Lennon insists Celtic will go on the front foot and look to seal their Europa League place by killing off AIK Stockholm on Thursday night.

The Hoops take a 2-0 lead to Sweden as they look to clinch a pass to the group stages.

And Lennon has dismissed any notion of his side sitting in to protect the advantage they built up in Glasgow last week thanks to strikes from James Forrest and Odsonne Edouard.

The Northern Irishman believes that will only invite trouble to the Scottish champions' door.

Instead, he will order his men to stick to the attacking game plan that has taken them to the brink of qualification.

"We're a front-foot team," the Hoops boss told the club's official website. "We're not going to ask players to do something alien in the space of two or three days.

"Setting up defensively might be a recipe for disaster.

"AIK are dangerous. They won at the weekend, they have good strikers and in Seb Larsson they have a very experienced, quality player who's a threat at set-plays.

"Set-pieces are something we have to be very wary of.

"They have a good mentality and will believe the tie's not over so we have to respect that as well."

Celtic conceded four times at home as they were dumped out of the Champions League by Romanian club Cluj.

But they barely broke a sweat as they took care of AIK at Parkhead last week.

Lennon would not be surprised if his side have more to deal with at the Friends Arena – but that will not mean he alters his game plan.

"If the time runs down they might come out and have a real go at us or they might do that to start with," he said.

"They may be patient, let us have the ball and counter-attack us.

"I can't predict it but what I can predict is we'll play how we want to play and impose our game on them."

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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
Championship Group
1Celtic000080265478
2RangersRangers000072234975
3Hearts000046341262
4Kilmarnock00004334951
5St Mirren00003843-543
6Dundee00004454-1041
Relegation Group
1Hibernian00004451-739
2Motherwell00004651-537
3Aberdeen00003549-1435
4St Johnstone00002446-2231
5Ross County00003256-2430
6Livingston00002259-3718
 
First Phase
1Celtic33246380265478
2RangersRangers33243672234975
3Hearts33195946341262
4Kilmarnock33131284334951
5St Mirren33127143843-543
6Dundee331011124454-1041
7Hibernian33912124451-739
8Motherwell33813124651-537
9Aberdeen33811143549-1435
10St Johnstone33710162446-2231
11Ross County3379173256-2430
12Livingston3339212259-3718
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