Celtic defender Kristoffer Ajer insists that his side's Europa League round of 32 opponents Zenit St Petersburg didn't appear to be rusty in the first leg and will have the ability to hurt the Bhoys when they meet again this Thursday.
The first leg of the tie at Celtic Park was won by the Scottish giants 1-0 thanks to a fine Callum McGregor strike, with the slender margin belying the Bhoys' dominance throughout the game.
Ajer, who has established himself at the heart of the Celtic defence in the absence of Dedryck Boyata due to injury, insists that at home Zenit will come hard at them.
In spite of the long Russian winter break, Ajer insists that he didn't see any rustiness in Zenit's game and therefore Celtic will have to be extra cautious when they visit Russia this Thursday.
“To be fair, I don’t think they were rusty at all”, Ajer was quoted as saying by the Herald Scotland.
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“I felt we pressed the game really well. They gave us a really good fight.
“It was just that we played very well. We were up for the game.
"It was a great performance and we deserved to win but we know they can hurt us in St Petersburg."
