Oliver Birch 
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Neil Lennon has confirmed that Leigh Griffiths will feature for Celtic in Romania on Thursday but has rubbished suggestions that this will be his final chance to impress amid speculation about his future.
The striker looks set for his first start since the League Cup win over Dunfermline back in August and, according to the Daily Mail, Lennon offered words of encouragement for the striker before also quashing any negative rumours about his future.
That’s way too dramatic. None of those soundbites are coming from anyone inside the club. He’s got an opportunity to get match fitness allied to topping up his fitness work behind the scenes.
He knows what he has to do, so he will be really looking forward to going out there and playing, I have no doubt about that.
In the context of the season, it’s a big night for him because he hasn’t played much football and there’s a good chance he will start. There’s no pressure on him.
We know what a player he is. It’s just a question of getting as much game time into his legs as possible and him going out and enjoying himself and working hard to get something out of the game.
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Lennon publicly rubbishing the rumours about the Cluj tie being Griffiths’ last chance to impress will certainly come as a confidence boost to the striker.
As the Celtic boss eludes too, Griff has an excellent chance to put in a strong performance and build his match fitness against Cluj, as he looks to get back to his goalscoring best.
The 29-year-old will recognise how big an opportunity this is for him, and many will be hoping to see him take the chance by firing Celtic to their first victory on Romanian soil.
