By ROBERT GRIEVE
CELTIC are less likely to beat Barcelona tonight than President Obama is to tell the world that aliens really DO exist.
Bookies are offering a whopping 45-1 on the Scottish champions winning in the Nou Camp.
That is the biggest price EVER for a British side in the Champions League.
Compared to that, Obama confirming ET is real looks nailed on at 20-1.
And the same bookies will give you 33-1 Wayne Rooney names his new baby Alex after his Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson.
That is the measure of how daunting a task Neil Lennon’s side face against Lionel Messi and Co.
But the Hoops boss will make sure his side do not go out feeling like massive underdogs.
He has even banned them from doing deals in the tunnel to swap shirts with the La Liga aces.
The former Leicester midfielder said: “I won’t be in the tunnel when the teams walk out, but I just want them to look straight ahead and not look at the side.
“I want them to try to focus on getting a foothold on the game.
“We will respect them but we will have to play aggressively at times.”
Lennon knows Messi could easily rip his side apart but hopes the fear of that will help his team.
He added: “I think it’s better to play with a wee bit of fear.
“But you don’t want too much fear because that can overwhelm you to the point where your legs go.
“We have to play very well, we have to be disciplined, we have to defend. There could be a lot of last-ditch stuff.”
Barcelona’s dodgy defensive record this season gives Celtic the faintest glimmer of hope.
They scraped a 5-4 victory against Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday and it has been 10 years since the Catalan giants last conceded 11 goals in their first eight La Liga games.
But Barca boss Tito Vilanova said: “I think we’re the team with the most goals scored so one thing offsets the other. If we can maintain this ratio we won’t have to worry.”
Messi’s 15 goals in all competitions — including a hat-trick against Deportivo — have helped Barca stay unbeaten so far this term.
But the Argy superstar insisted: “Statistics are just a detail, the important thing is that we keep on winning.”
