Celtic manager Ronny Deila has opened up on why he started with Leigh Griffiths on the bench for this evening's slender 1-0 Champions League qualifying win against Azerbaijani outfit Qarabag at Celtic Park.
The Bhoys struggled to get going from the off, allowing Qarabag to keep them at arms length and enjoy their own periods of possession.
Celtic failed to work the Qarabag goalkeeper, leaving the visitors happy to be heading off 0-0 at half time having frustrated the Bhoys.
As the second half wore on and Celtic still had trouble breaking Qarabag down, Deila turned to first Griffiths and then Kris Commons off the bench.
And it was Commons who created the breakthrough for Celtic when he whipped in a corner kick which allowed Dedryck Boyata to head into the back of the net in the 82nd minute.
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Commons then went close with a shot as Celtic saw out the match to take a 1-0 advantage into the second leg in Azerbaijan.
Striker Nadir Ciftci had been wasteful in front of goal, leading fans to question why Deila did not go with Griffiths from the off and then waited until the 69th minute to throw him on.
But Deila, speaking at his post-match press conference, revealed the striker had toothache.
He said: "Leigh was up all night with his tooth and was at the dentist. He didn’t get much sleep, but Nadir played well."
Deila also reflected on the performance as a whole and expressed his confidence ahead of the second leg of the third qualifying round in Azerbaijan.
"If we score there they need three goals so it’s a good position.
"It’s hard to say we’re favourites, but we have a good chance.
"Our central defenders were great today. The whole team working together impressed me.
"I believe in my players and I believe we are individually good, but we are also a good team.
"I believe in my team, but we have the respect for the opponent. The next games will hopefully show we are at that level [we showed against Inter in the Europa League last season]."
