KRISTINSSON SENDS CELTIC WARNING
KR Reykjavik manager Runar Kristinsson will put the emphasis on defence in the second-leg of their Champions League second qualifier against Celtic at the BT Murrayfield Stadium on Tuesday night even though his side are trailing in the tie.
The Icelandic side are 1-0 down from the first-leg and expected to exit the competition against the Scottish champions.
Kristinsson claimed to believe his side have a chance to cause what would be a major upset against Ronny Deila's men but his press conference at the home of Scottish rugby suggested that the Hoops fans who make their way to Edinburgh should not expect an open game.
"It's a very big task ahead of us, we had a difficult game against them back home," he said.
"Celtic had most of the ball so we'd expect the same. We defended well back home so we're going to see if we can do that again but mount some better counter-attacks this time and try to hurt them more than we did back in Iceland.
"I believe in it, of course, it's 11 against 11 and we'll try to put up some strategy to slow them down. Then, when we get a chance to attack we'll do that. That's the only way for us to get further in the competition, we need to score.
"But we're not rushing forward in the beginning, we need to start slowly and slow down the tempo a bit. We have to make sure we get good counters in."
Kristinsson is disappointed that his players will not experience playing at Celtic Park, which is out of commission due its use in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
"It's a pity for my boys that we are not playing in Glasgow," he said. "We would all like to live that dream of playing at Parkhead. We'd love to do that.
"Maybe one day in the future it will happen for us, but we have to accept that's the way it is.
"But Murrayfield is a big stadium with a great pitch. The conditions are great and this is our prize for doing well last season.
"To come here, play in such a big venue, in front of a lot of fans, will be a new experience.
"A lot of them have played in front of big crowds, but this is a big opportunity for them."
