With one eye on Saturday's MTN8 semifinal, Clinton Larsen will look for a different approach from Bloemfontein Celtic in tonight's Absa Premiership tie against Orlando Pirates.
A schedule which looks a bit skewed against Phunya Sele Sele sees them facing the Buccaneers this evening (Free State Stadium, 7.30pm), a mere three days before they travel to Kaizer Chiefs for the epic semifinal second leg.
"We'll have three games in six days this week," observed Larsen yesterday, adding Sunday's 1-1 draw with Platinum Stars. "But we are not complaining," he quickly added when asked if he would have preferred to have an extra day's rest, like his cup opponents on Saturday, Chiefs, who played Polokwane City last night.
Instead of moaning about the schedule, Larsen will device a plan for Celtic to cope with the demands of successive clashes against the Soweto giants.
"We have to be clever and change things around," he said. "We will make a few changes . look at a different tactical approach because we are 90 minutes away from a major cup final. We may not be a big team like Pirates, Chiefs or [Mamelodi] Sundowns, but we do have some depth. That will enable us to field a very competitive side [tonight]."
Larsen is hopeful central defender Bevan Fransman recovers from concussion, but such is the importance he places on Saturday's cup match that he won't risk his captain. Celtic are yet to win a match from open play this season - their MTN8 victory over Sundowns was achieved via penalties - but Larsen is far from concerned. He will hope his side keep a clean sheet tonight, after throwing away the lead in three of their past four league and cup games.
"We were unlucky in our last match against Platinum Stars to concede from a deflection. We have worked on our defence and I have no doubt we'll be fine. At the other end we are producing the goods even though we are still trying to find the right strike partnership. Whether we have Geofrey Massa and Lerato Lamola, or Massa with Helder Pelembe, signs are there that we are getting better up front."
Celtic navigate tough schedule
With one eye on Saturday's MTN8 semifinal, Clinton Larsen will look for a different approach from Bloemfontein Celtic in tonight's Absa Premiership tie against Orlando Pirates.
A schedule which looks a bit skewed against Phunya Sele Sele sees them facing the Buccaneers this evening (Free State Stadium, 7.30pm), a mere three days before they travel to Kaizer Chiefs for the epic semifinal second leg.
"We'll have three games in six days this week," observed Larsen yesterday, adding Sunday's 1-1 draw with Platinum Stars. "But we are not complaining," he quickly added when asked if he would have preferred to have an extra day's rest, like his cup opponents on Saturday, Chiefs, who played Polokwane City last night.
Instead of moaning about the schedule, Larsen will device a plan for Celtic to cope with the demands of successive clashes against the Soweto giants.
"We have to be clever and change things around," he said. "We will make a few changes . look at a different tactical approach because we are 90 minutes away from a major cup final. We may not be a big team like Pirates, Chiefs or [Mamelodi] Sundowns, but we do have some depth. That will enable us to field a very competitive side [tonight]."
Larsen is hopeful central defender Bevan Fransman recovers from concussion, but such is the importance he places on Saturday's cup match that he won't risk his captain. Celtic are yet to win a match from open play this season - their MTN8 victory over Sundowns was achieved via penalties - but Larsen is far from concerned. He will hope his side keep a clean sheet tonight, after throwing away the lead in three of their past four league and cup games.
"We were unlucky in our last match against Platinum Stars to concede from a deflection. We have worked on our defence and I have no doubt we'll be fine. At the other end we are producing the goods even though we are still trying to find the right strike partnership. Whether we have Geofrey Massa and Lerato Lamola, or Massa with Helder Pelembe, signs are there that we are getting better up front."