Celtic supporter Lionel Messi is expecting something special from Ireland’s Hoops supporters

Nobody loves Celtic more than Lionel Messi.

The Barcelona superstar has never had anything but fantastic things to say about the Scottish champions and he will get the chance to line out against them on Saturday evening in Dublin. You may remember last year when the Argentine heaped praise on Celtic, claiming that Celtic Park has "the best atmosphere in Europe." Messi is expected to lead his teammates out on to the Aviva Stadium pitch for this weekend's International Champions Cup clash with the Hoops and he is expecting a similar reception in the Irish capital. The reigning Ballon d'Or holder, after admitting that he is rooting for Celtic to progress to the group stages of the Champions League, revealed that he is anticipating a special atmosphere from Celtic's Irish fanbase. “For Celtic they have much more important games than this coming up with the Champions League qualifiers, but this can help them prepare," he said, as per the Daily Record. "We have had some games against Celtic that I will always remember, and they are a big club, with big fans, and I would like to see them qualify this year - it is where they belong. “It is always a good atmosphere against Celtic. For the players at Barcelona who experienced the games in Europe against them, they will know what to expect from their fans. It is only a friendly, but I don’t think their fans know what a friendly is. There are a lot of Celtic fans in Ireland, and I expect them to make a lot of noise and create another special atmosphere.” We're pretty certain that they're going to deliver, Leo.