Kluivert bigs up Barça

Once more, injury has denied uefa.com's UEFA Cup diarist Patrick Kluivert the chance of a fourth-round game against Celtic FC, but he is convinced he will have the chance to showcase his skills in the next round of the competition.

By Patrick Kluivert

It is a real shame to have to admit defeat in my race to be fit to play for FC Barcelona against Celtic. I am making good progress in recovering from my knee injury, and even on Monday it looked as if I would be able to play some part in the tie.

Prolonged rest
But, unfortunately, I now know that I will have to watch the match from the stands. I am bitterly disappointed to be missing out on this massive game, but as I have said before, there is no point coming back too soon and aggravating the injury further. I have been given the all-clear on the knee, but what I lack is match fitness, and that will take a bit more time.

Confidence counts
I am confident, however, that my team-mates will be able to overturn the 1-0 defeat we suffered in Glasgow and put us in the draw for the quarter-finals. It will not be easy, but no game at this stage of the UEFA Cup is.

Red cards
It was a real battle in the first leg, with a lot of controversy and three players sent off. I don't really want to comment on those red cards, but there is no doubt that Celtic were very aggressive. Perhaps we should have dealt with the situation better, because it is never easy to get a good result when you go down to nine men.

No hard feelings
However, I do not blame Celtic at all for what happened on the night - they were at home, they had to get a victory and so their aggression was to be expected. Being the away side, we could afford to sit back a bit and we respected Celtic enough to know that a draw or a narrow defeat for us would not be a disaster. There are no hard feelings between the two sides, certainly not from within the Barcelona camp. We are just looking forward to another good night's European football.

Larsson threat
So, what were my impressions of Celtic after the first leg? Well, we knew all about Henrik Larsson and we will have to keep a close eye on him at the Camp Nou. You can never lose sight of him, because he only needs one chance and he will put the ball in the back of the net.

Team play
Other than that, there was no one player that stood out for me - what impressed me was their collective play, the way they worked for each other and how well organised they were. The team spirit of a Scottish side goes without saying, but they have more qualities than just that, and once again they proved they are a top European side. They got to the final of this competition last year, so you would be crazy to underestimate them.

Hothouse atmosphere
It will be an intense atmosphere on Thursday, and some believe Celtic will find this hard to cope with. But I do not think that. Apart from the UEFA Cup final last year, they are used to playing in Old Firm matches against Rangers FC, so they know all about performing under pressure. I do not believe the atmosphere will influence the result.