Armstrong: 'Qarabag A Different Test'

Celtic midfielder Stuart Armstrong is hoping home advantage can help the Hoops earn a comfortable lead from the first leg of their Champions League qualifier against Qarabag on Wednesday.

The Azerbaijani champions boast a similar level of European experience to Celtic and it could prove an evenly balanced tie, which is why Armstrong is so keen to capitalise on the Parkhead atmosphere.

These games are tough and it will be a challenge but one we are looking forward to,'' he said on the Celtic website.

We have watched a few things and prepared right and worked on a few things. It's always a tough ask playing teams from different leagues with different styles of play and we just need to make sure we are at our best.

It will be a different test but we need to face it like we did in the previous round and we will need to make sure our preparation is spot on. They move the ball well and keep the ball well and like to dominate possession, as do we, so that is something we will need to watch for tomorrow.

A 2-0 win would be very nice to have in the bag. The manager has made a few notes on what we need to do, but as a team they are very good so it's not a case of isolating one part of their team. We are learning more about them as the days go on.''

Manager Ronny Deila, whose side fell at this stage to Legia Warsaw last year, before losing to Maribor after a reprieve, is an admirer of Qarabag's discipline, and pointed to their consistency after seven years of coaching from Gurban Gurbanov.

They do a lot of things that we want to do,'' he said.

They are very offensive, they have good relations in the team. That's something we work on all the time to get people to look at each other and find angles on the pitch.

And they are good at switching the play. Some things are similar but other things are different. We just have to do the things we want to do better than them.''

• sport news