Ahead of his side’s match against Celtic this weekend at McDiarmid Park, St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari shared what he admires about the Scottish champions…
The ex-Motherwell and Derby County midfielder, who made 32 appearances for Finland, commended the Hoops ahead of Sunday’s encounter, highlighting a particular aspect of Brendan Rodgers’ team that he values most. In an interview with Gordon Duncan on Sky Sports, Valakari said: “Football is crazy.”
‘What I like about them is that they’re so ruthless’
“Yes, we know Celtic and how well they have been playing domestically and in Europe. What I like about them is that they’re so ruthless.”
“For us, it’s a big challenge. But at the same time, we need to go. Crazy things happen in football. We need to go and believe in ourselves.”
As of now, Valakari’s St Johnstone find themselves at the bottom of the Scottish Premiership, with 26 points from 31 matches. They trail Dundee in 11th place by five points, who have 31, while Kilmarnock occupy 10th with 32 points.
Celtic boast a 10-0 aggregate advantage over St Johnstone
Celtic boast a 10-0 aggregate advantage over their opponents this season, having secured a 6-0 win in September and a 4-0 victory at Celtic Park in December.
With seven matches remaining it looks increasingly likely that the Perth Saints will play their football in the Scottish Championship next campaign.
The two sides will meet again in two weeks time at the national stadium as they battle it out for a place in the Scottish Cup final next month. The winners will face either Aberdeen or Hearts.
Match officials confirmed for McDiarmid Park, no Alan Muir
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