Loovens ignores record books

Loovens: Spanish confidence

Celtic defender Glenn Loovens insists he will not over-burden himself with history as his side look for an elusive away win against Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday.

The record books are not in Celtic's favour with the Parkhead side picking up only one point in 15 games away from home.

A goalless draw against Aalborg in their Group E opener at Celtic Park earlier this month has made victory in Spain imperative if they are to have any realistic hopes of reaching the last 16 of the competition.

Dutch defender Loovens has been trying to fight his way into manager Gordon Strachan's plans since joining from Cardiff in the summer.

Strong

He believes their squad is strong enough to grab victory against Villarreal and insists the players will not look at the record books.

"I don't think there is a feeling in the team that we can't win away from home," said Loovens.

"What happened in the past is in the past, it's done. We are confident enough with this squad that we can get a result away from home.

"If you look at the squad, we have good players and I think the players that came in during the summer, like Shaun Maloney, are going to do a good job.

"The manager is also confident about the players he has on the bench. Everyone gets an opportunity to play and those who do play have to be sharp and be on their toes to be kept in for the next game."