Heat could suit us in Seville, says O'Neill

Martin O'Neill knows just how tough it will be in the heat of Spain tonight - but he believes that could actually suit his players…

Martin O'Neill knows just how tough it will be in the heat of Spain tonight - but he believes that could actually suit his players.

Celtic face Porto in the Estadio Olimpico in the UEFA Cup final with the temperature expected to soar to 90 degrees.

O'Neill has experienced the heat of Spain before, with Northern Ireland having to cope with the blazing sun at the World Cup in 1982.

The underdogs beat the home nation en route to the quarter-finals and O'Neill revealed how teams allowed them to play because they were reserving energy.

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"Even then, that was the highest heat in Spain for quite some years," he recalled. "It was absolutely blistering.

"We played Yugoslavia in Zaragosa and the temperature was around 90, which was unbelievable.

"We played some wonderful football at times that year and what happens is these teams allow you time, which is why we did very well.

"They allow you to have the ball because chasing the ball is tough, which played into our hands and we went on to do quite well."

But O'Neill is still concerned about the heat in the stadium for the club's first European final in 33 years and is hoping UEFA have learned from the past and allow bottles of water at the side of the pitch.

"It's obviously a big concern, but it's not something we can change," stressed O'Neill.

"It's there, but with 10 minutes to go in Boavista if you'd said to me that we would have some discomfort with the weather conditions in Seville then I would have taken it.

"It's great to be here and it's absolutely terrific. I'm looking forward to it myself and the players are and we're going to go for it.

"I think lessons have been learned from the World Cup in America.

"People realise that the players especially need water when the conditions are abnormal and you have to have fluid on the sideline."

Celtic are the underdogs despite knocking out Liverpool, Celta Vigo, Stuttgart, Boavista and Blackburn en route to Spain.

Porto also have an impressive array of victims, but O'Neill insists his side will not be simply making up the numbers.

"The players are representing the football club in the final and I am delighted to be there, but we are not coming to make up the numbers," he added.

"We will be trying to win and the players are looking forward to it and it's now getting closer."