Celtic captain admits to needing luck

The Parkhead side head into the game at the Nou Camp knowing that few would give them much hope of taking anything from the game.

Barcelona are hot favourites to win the tournament, while Celtic sit rock-bottom of Group F, with just one win to their credit and no points at all away from home.

Lambert is in the unenviable position of knowing that he will play no part in the game after staying behind to prepare for the first of his coaching course assessments on Friday and he knows that a tense night in front of the television lies ahead.

But he has refused to rule out the possibility of Celtic nicking something on the night.

He said: "It'll be unbelievably tough.

"The only plus is that the lads are experienced now and know what they're going into from having played Barcelona a few times before.

"But it comes down to the fact that we're going in against one of the favourites to win the competition, maybe the favourites.

"You look around Europe and there certainly aren't many teams you'd put above Barca at the moment.

"To get anything, we'll need to defend the way we did the last time we were there - throwing bodies in front of everything - and then hope for a bit of luck.

"But you also know that, regardless of who the opposition are, at one stage or another, you're going to get a chance.

"Whether it's from a corner, a free-kick or whatever, we will have a chance to score.

"It might just be one, but, if we can take it, who knows? We'll just have to wait and see."

Celtic's worries may be eased slightly by the news that former Hoops hero Henrik Larsson will miss the game.

The Swedish hitman suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury during the 3-0 win over Real Madrid, which looks set to sideline him for at least six months.

Ronaldinho has revealed Barca's star-studded squad is devastated by the loss of Larsson, but Lambert is well aware that the Catalan giants have plenty of other big names who can cause problems for Celtic.

And he believes that the Brazilian tops the list.

Lambert said: "I'd say he would have to be number one at the minute.

"For years, Zidane has been the best in the world for me, but, in terms of opening up defences and just sheer skill level, I think Ronaldinho's maybe just ahead of him now.

"But the bottom line is that he's only as good as the players around him and I'm sure he'd tell you that the likes of Xavi do a brilliant job to allow him to work his magic.

"It's a team game, not an individual one, and that's why you need people who'll do the work for the Ronaldinhos of this world.

"Barcelona, like any good team, need both types of player and, unfortunately for us, they have them."