Deila delight at Murrayfield pitch
- adamhigginsuk
- Jul 21, 2014
- 2 min read
The grand stage: Murrayfield will be the venue for the second leg of Celtic's Champions League tie (Picture from STV Sport)
CELTIC boss Ronny Deila has expressed his delight at the state of the Murrayfield pitch ahead of his side's Champions League qualifier with RK Reykjavik.
The Scottish champions will be the first team to play on the brand new surface at Scottish rugby's home, with Celtic Park unavailable because of the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
A mixture of grass and artificial fibres makes up the Murrayfield pitch in Edinburgh, which was relaid last month.
The Hoops hold a 1-0 advantage heading into the return leg of their second qualifying round tie after Calum McGregor's debut goal.
And Deila, who said he expects an improved performance on Tuesday, believes there will be "no excuses" should his side fail to perform against KR.
"It is fantastic. It is a very good pitch. I don't think there will be any problem," the Norwegian said as his players trained at Murrayfield on Monday.
"The team will have the support and that is important and the pitch is perfect. So no excuses."
Charlie Mulgrew, who is captaining the side in the absence of the injured Scott Brown, is also satisfied with the preparations - and the field itself.
"If you are not going to play at your home stadium then this is just the perfect place," he said.
"Everything is perfect about it, the pitch, everything, it will be fine. Preparations have been fine and everything has gone smoothly. It is just another place to play, and it is a great place.
"We hope to get as many fans as we can in. We all know what Celtic fans are like in the Champions League for us so hopefully we can get them behind us tomorrow night."
Last updated: 21 July 2014 21:02pm
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