Celtic concerns for Kluivert

A knee injury has ensured that uefa.com's UEFA Cup diarist Patrick Kluivert will be missing the first leg of FC Barcelona's fourth-round tie against Celtic FC, but he has plenty of advice for his team-mates as they travel to Glasgow.

By Patrick Kluivert

Once again I am set to miss out on a crucial UEFA Cup tie through injury. My knee is taking longer than we had hoped for to heal and I will not be ready in time to travel to Glasgow for the match on Thursday night. And realistically, it is unlikely that I will be available for Barcelona's game at Real Murcia [CF] on Sunday. But, as I have said before, there is no point risking further damage by coming back too soon.

Superb draw
What a draw Celtic against Barcelona is! You could say we are unlucky to have drawn one of the biggest teams left in the tournament, but then again, this is the last 16 of a major tournament, and there were many other strong sides we could have got. Personally, I am pleased for Barcelona to be facing Celtic because it will be an exciting match and the fans will enjoy two great nights of European football.

Real challenge
It will be a real challenge for us, but one I am sure we will rise to. I am confident that over two legs Barcelona will emerge as winners. It will be very tough to win in Scotland, because Celtic are a strong attacking team and we may well have to settle for a draw there or even a narrow defeat.

Home form
But we will know what we have to achieve when Celtic come to Camp Nou and with the form we are in at the moment, I expect us to be too strong for them. This is in no way to disrespect Celtic, who are a strong side with some great players, it just reflects the confidence I have in my team-mates.

Glasgow warning
I expect it to be a very physical match for my colleagues, and for the crowd to really get behind Celtic. But we must not let Celtic dictate to us how the game is played. We will not try to beat them with a physical battle, we will play our own game and impose our style of football on the match.

Larsson threat
I have watched them play, so I know a bit about their strengths. They have some great defenders in their back line and, of course, what can you say about Henrik Larsson? He has proved that he is a world-class striker who can score against any opposition.

Competitive league
You cannot say he has it easy, because I know from talking to my Dutch colleagues who have played in the Scottish league how competitive it is. And Henrik has scored regularly in Europe and for Sweden too. We will have to watch him closely in both games.

Dutch experience
Perhaps it will help us that some of our team like Phillip Cocu and Marc Overmars played for Holland in Scotland in November, because we know what to expect now. I think we will face a similar style of football in a similar atmosphere, but I hope the result will be better. Then, if I continue to make good progress, I will be available for the second leg in Spain. That must now be my aim.

Patrick Kluivert's personal website is at www.icons.com