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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
Josh McCafferty

Sinisalo has 'toughest' Celtic job as David Marshall Nou Camp comparison made

Celtic hero Chris Sutton says Viljami Sinisalo has the toughest job in football ahead of his league debut this weekend. 

The backup goalkeeper is set to be brought in from the cold for his side against Heart of Midlothian amid Kasper Schmeichel's injury. 

Sinisalo has only played once for the Parkhead side previously, in a 5-0 Scottish Cup triumph over Raith Rovers. 

He will now make his league bow, and Sutton has compared Sinisalo's introduction to the team to that of David Marshall's in 2004. 


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A teenager at the time, he came into a colossal UEFA Cup tie against Barcelona and stood out as Celtic defeated Catalonian giants 1-0 on aggregate: "There are some people who will say it must be one of the easiest jobs in the game being Celtic goalkeeper, I actually think it’s one of the toughest," said Sutton (Record). 

"The slightest slip-up can have massive consequences, so it takes a mentality and level of concentration you don’t see everywhere. That’s the scenario that’s likely to be ahead of Viljami Sinisalo this weekend and probably for the near future.

"What a chance this is for the goalkeeper. It takes me back to my playing days when we had a young keeper who was thrust into the limelight – David Marshall. Sinisalo will probably come in to face Hearts and it’s a big game at a crucial stage of the season.

"But it’s nothing compared to the pressure Marshall had when he got the call. He’s played the odd cup game here or there, but it was a big moment when Rob Douglas got sent off at half-time against Barcelona at Parkhead in the UEFA Cup, thanks to Bobo Balde going on the rampage.

"Talk about an intense environment. Marshall coped brilliantly and we saw out the win – and everyone remembers his outstanding display at the Nou Camp when we put them out.

"That is all in front of Sinisalo right now – and it will be interesting to see how he copes this weekend. He arrived with a decent reputation and there has been talk he’s a number one of the future."

Brought to Celtic last summer from Aston Villa for £1m, the young Finn hasn't had a consistent run of games in green and white yet in order to showcase his talents. That could soon change with Schmeichel out indefinitely. 

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