Benfica midfielder Georgiy Sudakov believes Thursday night’s Europa League meeting with Celtic will feel like a derby.

The Ukrainian international is no stranger to the Hoops, having previously faced them in the Champions League during his time with Shakhtar Donetsk.

Sudakov featured in both group-stage meetings during the 2022/23 campaign, with the matches in Warsaw and Glasgow each finishing level.

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That experience gave him a first-hand look at Celtic and the atmosphere created by the club’s travelling and home support.

Speaking ahead of Thursday’s clash at the Estádio da Luz, Sudakov recalled the “crazy” atmosphere surrounding those games and suggested that the noise generated by both sets of supporters could give the fixture a derby feel. [Notícias ao Minuto]

“Benfica and Celtic feels like a derby. I’ve played against them in the Champions League when I was at Shakhtar. It’s something special, a great game. I’ve already said that we’re preparing well for the game.

“We’re only thinking about our team and we’ll see tomorrow. We’ll try to make our fans happy and also enjoy every game. About my goal [against Vitória SC]… of course I’m happy. I went a while without scoring, but I was calm because I knew it

“It was a special atmosphere [when he played Celtic before]. When I played there I was 19 years old and it was crazy. I’ll never forget that atmosphere. Celtic is a great club, it has great fans like Benfica. They really support the team.”

The midfielder is now looking forward to renewing that rivalry in Lisbon as Benfica attempt to continue their excellent form.

Celtic will be backed by a sizeable travelling support after receiving an allocation of 3,405 tickets for the game.

Those supporters will hope to make themselves heard inside one of European football’s most famous grounds, particularly with Martin O’Neill’s side looking to respond to their disappointing Europa League opener against Ferencváros.

Benfica will enter the match as favourites, having won nine of their previous 10 games across all competitions.

Celtic, however, travel to Portugal with renewed confidence after returning to winning ways with a dominant 2-0 victory over Motherwell on Sunday.

Sudakov already knows about the atmosphere Celtic supporters can create. On Thursday night, the Hoops will hope their performance gives the travelling fans something to make noise about.