Tony Mowbray and Scott McDonald met the Australian press shortly after arriving in Brisbane and the manager acknowledged the commitment of the Celtic fans down under and promised that his side would try to reward them with a win although this match would be played with a view to the upcoming Champions League qualifier.
Scott McDonald
"I'm delighted to be here and I look forward to this game immensely," said Mowbray. "This is my first visit to Australia and it's great to come and meet the fans. Celtic supporters are known all over the world and it's fantastic to be in charge of a club with such a worldwide following."
"We are here to show our support to these fans in Australia." he said. "We want to give them something back for the support they show us. We're looking forward to the event and hopefully we can give them something to shout about. I've been working with the players for a few weeks now and I'm looking forward to seeing the likes of Scott McDonald performing. I've watched these guys from afar in England and now I can go and work with them."
Former Hoop and Socceroo Mark Viduka has been linked with Celtic but boss Mowbray dismissed the rumours that the Newcastle striker, now a free agent, would be returning to Glasgow. The manager even hinted that he was prepared to enter the new season with the strikers he has at his disposal now. "Mark has been involved in a difficult season in England with Newcastle." he said. "But I would suggest that at this moment I think that's pretty unlikely that that would happen. I am looking forward to working with the existing strikers we have got."
"We have just completed the signing of a centre forward - Marc-Antoine Fortune - and I am looking forward to try and gel our existing strikers together." he added. "We are taking this match very seriously. It's about getting a balance. We want to protect players but we are always expected to win and we'll be trying to do that."
Scott McDonald will captain Celtic in his homeland and he'll be a proud man as he leads the Bhoys onto the field. "As a lifelong Celtic supporter I realise just how great an honour it is to be given the captaincy for this match," said McDonald. "My family will be among the thousands of supporters who are all looking forward to the club's visit and it will, personally, be a real honour to lead the team out on this rare trip to Australia."
The orange-shirted Roar (a tribute to their Dutch origins) will provide a stiff test for Celtic and McDonald expects a tough game from them. "Like all Australian sides they will be very fit." said Skippy. "But Roar are also strong technically. The A-League is improving all the time and Australian soccer is getting better. It's going to be a hard game."
The game kicks-off at 5.45am CPT tomorrow (Sunday) morning.