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Wilfried Nancy leads Celtic in Europe for the first time on Thursday Europa League: Celtic v Roma Venue: Celtic Park, Glasgow Date: Thursday, 11 December Kick-off: 20: 00 GMT Coverage: Listen on BBC Radio Scotland & Sounds, live text commentary on the BBC Sport website & app Wilfried Nancy will not "waste time" with criticism but accepts it comes with the Celtic manager's job. The Frenchman's reign opened with a 2-1 Scottish Premiership home defeat by Hearts on Sunday and his second game is also in Glasgow, against Roma in the Europa League on Thursday. The former Columbus Crew head coach's use of a tactics board on Sunday has also drawn particular focus. "People, they have the right to talk, " said Nancy. "I'm going to dress one way, maybe he's going to say that they don't like the way I dress. I don't waste time on that. "If I use [a tactics board], it's because it's good for me. Simple as that. I don't think that I'm going to use it all the time. But no problem. " Why have Nancy's tactics board & green shoes caused consternation? And Nancy explained: "I always told myself that, 'when you become a coach, cut everything'. So, this is what I did. "So, on Twitter, I cut everything, regarding my name, regarding the club, regarding what people can say, because they have the right to say something. This is part of the job. "I'm not here to comment on everything. I control what I can control, to be good with my players, with my club, with the people that I work with and to maximise our chance to win games by having good performances. " Nancy revealed his mother had said he had developed "bags" under his eyes after joining the club last week amid a busy programme of fixtures. "I said, yeah, mummy, I just came in, jet lag, tried to anticipate everything, " he added. "But, again, this is part of our job. "I'm really excited by that. So I try to stay at peace with myself, at peace with the person that I am. Try to open my eyes to understand the culture. " Asked about Celtic's system against Hearts, which most observers viewed as a 3-4-3, Nancy countered: "Everybody talks about the system. We played with a back four the last game. Yes, defensively you think it was a back five, but we defended with a back four. Sometimes it was a back three. "It's not about the system, this is about the concept, this is about how do we want to play? How do we connect better? How we can manipulate the opposition to attack the box better, how we can disrupt the lines, how we can defend our box. "For me, the system is not important. If I do something, it's because I believe it can be good for the team and, if I need to adjust anything, I will do it because this is part of my job. " With Roma in 15th place, two points and six places above Celtic in the Europa League table - and having beaten Rangers already in Glasgow this season - another tough test of those tactics awaits. Nigeria striker Kelechi Iheanacho returned to the Celtic bench against Hearts after injury and is pressing for a start, while winger James Forrest is back training. However, defenders Marcelo Saracchi, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Alistair Johnston are long-term absentees along with winger Jota and striker Callum Osmand. With Artem Dovbyk not expected to return to the Roma squad through injury, on-loan Brighton & Hove Albion striker Evan Ferguson is pressing for a start after featuring on the bench in recent weeks. But right-back Wesley is doubtful and former Manchester City full-back Angelino has been missing since October with asthmatic bronchitis. Roma arrive in Glasgow off the back of two narrow defeats as they try to maintain their domestic and European challenge. I Giallorossi were beaten 1-0 by champions Napoli at the Stadio Olimpico after the international break, a result that knocked them off top spot, something they had achieved for the first time in a decade. They were then beaten by the same scoreline in Sardinia by Cagliari on Sunday, having been reduced to 10 men following a red card for Turkey right-back Zeki Celik. They remain in fourth place, just four points off the pacesetters and continue to have the best defence in Serie A, albeit they are the lowest scorers in the top 10. In the Europa League, they are close to securing a place in the knockout stage, with one more win required to achieve that. They defeated Celtic's conquerors, Midtjylland, last time out, which will serve as a warning to the Scottish champions given the lesson they received against the same opponents in Denmark last month. Gian Piero Gasperini's men swept Rangers aside 2-0 just over a month ago. The Romans arrive without last season's top scorer, Dovbyk, among others, but this will be a huge examination of Celtic's own credentials of reaching the next phase. Roma lie 15th in the Europa League with nine points, two points and six places above Celtic. Celtic reached the knockout phase play-offs in the Champions League last season while Roma reached the Europa League last-16. Celtic and Roma have never previously met in European competition. Celtic have won seven and lost 16 of their 32 games against Italian opponents. Celtic's latest game against an Italian side ended in a 0-0 draw away to Atalanta in last season's Champions League. Celtic's latest home game against an Italian side ended in a 2-1 defeat by Lazio in the Champions League in October 2023. Celtic have won five and lost five of their 15 home games against Italian opponents. Roma have played Scottish sides three times, winning the latest, 2-0 away to Rangers last month in the Europa League. Roma's only previous encounter with a Scottish side came in the European Cup semi-final in 1984, when they lost 2-0 away to Dundee United but won their home leg 3-0 to progress. Roma sit fourth in Serie A, four points behind reigning champions Napoli. Reigning champions Celtic lie second in the Scottish Premiership, three points behind Heart of Midlothian but with a game in hand. Celtic's five-game winning run was ended by a 2-1 defeat at home to Hearts on Sunday. After a run of four straight wins, Roma have lost their latest two games without scoring, losing 1-0 away to Cagliari on Sunday. Celtic winger Sebastian Tounekti has made the most ball carries in the Europa League this season that have ended in the opposition penalty area (32), while he ranks third among non-defenders for ball carry distance. On-loan midfielder Leon Bailey played in Aston Villa's 4-2 win at home to Celtic in the Champions League in January. Last Updated 28th November 2025 at 11: 34 Please Note: All times UK. Tables are subject to change. The BBC is not responsible for any changes that may be made. UEFA Europa League All competitions Although this is Celtic’s 33rd major European meeting with Italian teams, it’s their first ever against Roma. They have won two of their last 16 against Italian opponents (D4 L10), both against Lazio in the 2019-20 UEFA Europa League. Roma have already beaten Rangers at Ibrox in the UEFA Europa League this season. The last team to win away from home against both Celtic and Rangers in a season in all competitions was Inverness Caledonian Thistle in 2012-13. None of Celtic’s last 19 UEFA Europa League matches at Celtic Park have ended in a draw (W10 L9) since a 2-2 draw with Fenerbahçe back in October 2015. Roma are looking to win three consecutive UEFA Europa League matches for the first time since doing so in September/October 2023. Celtic winger Sebastian Tounekti has made the most ball carries in the UEFA Europa League this season that have ended in the opposition penalty area (32), while he ranks third among non-defenders for ball carry distance (1, 043 metres). Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.