Celtic v Spartak Moscow preview: Neil Lennon warns Hoops over wounded Russians

The Russian side have been in poor form of late — losing 4-2 at home to Zenit St Petersburg and suffering a 5-1 loss to city rivals Dynamo which cost their boss Unai Emery his job.

However the Celtic manager remains cautious about the threat posed by Spartak.

“I don’t know what frame of mind they will come to Glasgow in, but I do know they are a dangerous team,” he said. “They attack very, very well and were unfortunate at times against Zenit.”

Lennon also called on his men to show patience and discipline despite the intensity of the occasion.

“I’m not sure if the majority of our fans expect us to go through and that may work in favour of our players,” he said.

“We’re going to have to try to win the game and we will wait all night if we have to for the goal. But we must emphasise the importance of keeping a clean sheet.”

The Scottish champions sit third in Group G on the same points as Benfica and must better the Portuguese side’s result against Barcelona in the Nou Camp if they are to progress for the first time since 2008.

Spartak, who expect to have former Celtic winger Aiden McGeady back in their XI, will finish bottom of the group no matter the result, but will be determined to avenge the home defeat they suffered against the Hoops in October.

Celtic rested several key players, including Joe Ledley, Kris Commons and Fraser Forster, for their 1-1 Scottish Cup against Arbroath at the weekend.

Aside from the injured James Forrest and Victor Wanyama, who misses out through suspension, the Bhoys should have a full squad to choose from.