Pirlo: Celtic fans will not intimidate Juve

Andrea Pirlo says Juventus will have no fear when they visit Celtic next week.

Antonio Conte’s side face Celtic in the first leg of their Champions League tie at Parkhead, but the Italian midfielder believes the ground’s famous atmosphere will not intimidate Juve’s experienced players.

“I’m sure the noise from the Celtic fans will be crazy, but that will only make us more determined to go into battle,” Pirlo told Skysports.com.

“I know that Celtic Park will be like a gladiator arena, but we’re ready. We are prepared for whatever Celtic have to offer. We have players who have won the World Cup and Champions League, so we are used to intimidating games.”

The 33-year-old did reference Neil Lennon’s team’s victory over Barcelona in November, but feels that result will make his side approach the game in the correct manner.

“We saw that they beat Barca in Glasgow, but we are prepared to adapt maybe more than Barcelona did. We know Barcelona play fantastic football, but Celtic frustrated them. Whatever way Celtic want to play, we are ready for them,” he said.

“If they want to play football, we’ll play football. But if they want to battle, we are ready to go to battle,” he said.

The first leg of the tie will be played on Tuesday, February 12, with the return leg on Wednesday March 6.