FRAN Alonso is looking forward to another tough league encounter this Sunday as Celtic play host to Spartans in what will be the Hoops’ first home game of the new season.

The Celtic FC Women’s manager was delighted with his side’s performance last weekend as they beat Hearts 10-0, and he’s looking for another strong showing and result against Edinburgh opposition this time around.

“This is the way we have to work,” he told the official Celtic website. “They know that applies to every single training session and every single game. It is about intensity and it is about heart and, last Sunday, the girls got the message.

“It is a home game this weekend, so we have to try and get the three points. We are expecting a very tough game against Spartans who just lost 1-0 against tough opposition in Rangers last week.

“So they’re going to be strong. They are always difficult to break and aggressive, and they’re a team that defends very well and try to hit on the counter-attack.”

Like the men’s game, Celtic FC Women are playing their fixtures behind closed doors, and while Fran Alonso knows that a vocal support can give the team a boost, he knows the players will be cheered on from afar.

“We are gutted we won’t have our fans there as it means a lot to us to have our fans there,” he said. “In the one game we did have our fans there (Glasgow City, February 2020) it was unbelievable. We really felt them in that game.

“The message to the fans is, the game is live on TV, so I hope they will be cheering from home and I am sure that, despite them not being there, we will feel them.”

Celtic take on Spartans at K-Park in East Kilbride this Sunday, November 8 (KO: 2pm)

Fran Alonso: We want to build on impressive win over Hearts