Moravcik, who starred during one of Celtic’s most celebrated eras, has urged the current squad to draw hard lessons from their Champions League collapse against LASK.
The Slovak legend was so distraught watching the qualifying defeat that he switched off his television when Celtic fell 3-1 behind, unable to continue watching.
“I watched Celtic’s Champions League qualifier against LASK and, honestly, I had to turn off the TV when they went 3-1 down,” Moravcik said. “I knew what was coming and did not want to watch. It was too painful.”
Moravcik believes the performance exposed a troubling fragility within the squad, one that could prove costly in the cauldron of an Ibrox derby without away support.
“Too many Celtic players looked scared,” he said. “They could feel the momentum of the tie change and did not know what to do. They were afraid. If you are an opponent you sense that.”
The former midfielder insists that attitude and mentality are every bit as important as technical quality when facing pressure in high-stakes fixtures.
“These games are as much about mentality as anything else,” said Moravcik. “You have to fight for everything, every ball, every tackle, every 50-50.”
He also reflected on the visible toll the LASK result took on manager Martin O’Neill, recalling the Irishman’s shell-shocked expression during the collapse.
“I don’t think I have ever seen Martin O’Neill look so upset as that night,” Moravcik said. “His face was so white. You could see how shocked he was. I am sure privately he would have had a few things to say about it.”
Moravcik knows the Old Firm stage well, having introduced himself to Scottish football in spectacular fashion with a 5-1 win over Rangers that silenced those who had questioned his signing.
He was also involved in a more combustible occasion, receiving a red card in an ill-tempered League Cup semi-final at Hampden, showing the fixture demands both quality and composure.
His most treasured memory against Rangers remains a commanding 3-0 victory at Ibrox in April 2001, a result that carried enormous significance in the title race.
“I scored two and Henrik Larsson scored his 50th goal of the season,” Moravcik recalled. “That is my favourite game against Rangers. Winning on that stage against a very good Rangers team was a nice feeling.”
He credits the spirit within O’Neill’s squad that season as the foundation for performances of that calibre in the most hostile of environments.
“It was our first season under Martin and there was belief, a confidence about us, from the minute we got off the bus,” he said.
Celtic’s task is now to rediscover that same collective certainty, particularly given that they will face a partisan Ibrox crowd without the backing of their own travelling supporters.
“I knew what it meant to Celtic that day,” Moravcik said. “To go to Ibrox and put on a show on the way to a title that had been lost the previous season by more than 20 points, it was special.”
Moravcik’s message is clear: football is not war, and fear has no place in a Celtic jersey when the biggest occasions arrive.
“It is not war. Football is a sport. You cannot be afraid to play. You have to be able to enjoy games where there is pressure,” he said.
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