Fenerbahce coach believes Celtic had luckless time in Europa League

Fenerbahce coach Vitor Pereira believes Celtic have been unlucky in the Europa League this season.

The Hoops will finish bottom of Group A after taking just two points from their first five fixtures - one of which came from the 2-2 draw with the Turkish side in Glasgow, where a two-goal lead was surrendered by Ronny Deila's men.

Norwegian side Molde have already qualified for the knockout stages ahead of the final set of fixtures and second-placed Fenerbahce need just a point to guarantee joining them.

Speaking through an interpreter at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, their Portuguese boss claimed things might have been different for the Hoops had they had the rub of the green.

"Teams need luck and Celtic have not had that small element of luck so far," Pereira said. "Luck was not with them.

"They paid hugely for small errors - sometimes a stopped ball or counter-attack cost them.

"Against Ajax, Celtic wanted to score but they made one error and Ajax scored. But it was an even match.

"We have been in a challenging group. Before the group started people did not know Molde and they say they are surprised by them, but Molde has proven that they are a dangerous team.

"The first game at Celtic was very challenging for us. We had lost our balance and the minute we lost control of the game we lost two goals but then we were lucky enough to have a tie.

"Our aim is to win tomorrow but I am sure Celtic will be fighting for their honour and they are going to try to prove that they don't deserve to be in this position in this group.

"It will be a challenging match but as a club we have a strong spirit.

"Our fans, just like those of Celtic, are passionate about their team. It will be a wonderful atmosphere and hopefully we will walk away with three points."

Pereira refused to rule star striker Robin van Persie out of the match, despite missing the 2-2 draw against Gaziantepspor at the weekend with a thigh injury.

"There is one more training session and then we will see who is in the team," he said.

"We will assess Van Persie's condition but it is not very serious."

Former Manchester United winger Nani and Denmark defender Simon Kjaer are out through suspension.