"Fabregas, Arshavin, Nasri, Rosicky, Diaby, Sagnol, Eboue, Van Persie, Clichy." said Mark Venus when asked to name the biggest threat to Celtic's Champions League hopes. "They are a good team. We know what we are dealing with, we know the players who are going to be put in front of us. Daunting is the word " 
The management team have recent experience of going up against Arsene Wenger's team having watched their West Brom side lose twice to them last season. "You have to look on it on the positive side," said Venus. "We have inherited a better-made team than we left. They are not novices in the world of football. They are decent players. We have liked a lot of the talent we have seen on the training ground. I hope some of them use this stage to show they can compete with these teams and on a one-to-one basis with these players."
"On the day, this (Arsenal) team can beat anyone," Venus continued. "But we have some decent players. We have a lot of belief in the camp and the players have given it everything they have got. They will give it their best shot and, hopefully, they will play without fear. This football team is coached to play football. When we have the ball we will be trying to play, trying to probe and trying to attack "
"It is a great chance for Celtic Football Club to go against one of the top four clubs in England and put a marker down for Scottish football," Venus said. "We would all like Scottish football to push itself forward and raise the bar. This is the perfect chance to have a go at a team that expects to compete at the end of this tournament. Realistically, against Champion League teams, Celtic are underdogs. But the home form of Celtic has been on a par with a lot of top teams in the Champions League. It has to be a night that everyone looks forward to."
Tony Mowbray has already confessed to being a huge fan of Arsene Wenger's side and has spoken of his trips to watch their Champions League games over a number of years. Now he will go toe-to-toe with the manager he most admires. "I have huge respect for Arsene and the job he has done at Arsenal." said Mowbray "He's had a lot of success at the club and has built a side that plays the game in the right way. They don't spend the millions on players that other English clubs do, but they play with a real style and always try to entertain. That's down to Arsene and his philosophies."
"It's a hard draw for us, but we will go into the game fully prepared and confident." said the Celtic boss. "The attitude and application of the players since I arrived at Celtic has been first-class and their ability was there for all to see against Dynamo on Wednesday night."
"We will be doing everything we possibly can to reach the group stages of the UEFA Champions League." he insisted. "The club has had a lot of success in the tournament in recent years and we will try to continue that."