By Ronnie Cully in Moscow

CELTIC aim to out-Fox Dinamo here tonight with an attack-minded formation designed to keep the Russians on the back foot.

Manager Tony Mowbray is not naive enough to go gung-ho against a side who like nothing better than to pick off their opponents on the counter-attack.

But while much is in doubt ahead of this tie - including the most important team selection Mowbray is likely to make in his first season in charge - the one thing which is crystal clear is that the Parkhead side have to score.

Delivery at set-pieces could be key, and new Bhoy Danny Fox has already been handed the lofty compliment of a comparison with a former master in this department, Alan Thompson.

They are big boots to fill as Thommo did so much to help Celtic reach the Uefa Cup Final and take several huge scalps in the Champions League.

But the man who arrived from Coventry in a £1.5m deal less than two weeks ago is ready to try and live up to the billing placed on him by Mowbray. And he knows there would be no better place to make his mark than in the Khimki Stadium this evening.

Fox has already sampled the Euro high life, coming on as a substitute in left midfield for the closing stages of the first leg against Dinamo.

He is expected to start at left-back tonight, but with a remit to get into advanced positions as often as possible.

The challenge is one he will grab with both hands as he has already bought into how important progressing to the final qualifying round is to the club.

Fox said: "The Champions League is a massive thing. Hopefully, we can get a good result and get through to the next stage.

"There is a lot to do this season after losing the league last time out. But every player likes to play under that pressure.

"I want to test myself at the highest level, and there is no better place to do that than here.

"The gaffer has shown a lot of faith by bringing me here. I've got to repay that by hopefully getting into the team.

"I know that's going to be a hard task, but if I can do that, then hopefully I can stay in the team as well."

Many players would struggle to deal with moving to such a big club and finding themselves immediately pitched into such a key game. Add the weight of expectation which comes with being dubbed the new Thommo, and Fox could be forgiven if he felt it was all a little too much too soon.

However, his attitude is that he has waited a long time to get a chance like the one this move has presented, and he is not about to shy away from it.

The manager's comparison with Thompson is taken the way it was intended, as a vote of confidence in a man who can boast a left foot which is rated one of the best in the business.

But Fox recognises it is yet another challenge which he has to meet head-on.

"With being compared to someone like Alan Thompson comes a massive pressure," he acknowledged.

"But I'm looking forward to that challenge, and to playing just as many games as Alan. If I can have as big an impact as he did, then I'll be extremely happy."

As will everyone at the club. The Euro stage was where Thommo excelled, and it provided the platform for him to win a call-up to the England team.

Fox's ambitions lie closer to home, and he knows that Scotland boss George Burley will be among those tuned into tonight's action from Moscow.

The prospect of finally being handed the opportunity to align himself with his dad's country appeals greatly to Fox. But he knows there is only one way to open that door.

The 23-year-old said: "I played for England under-21s, but only in friendly matches. If the opportunity to play for Scotland was to arise, I'd definitely be keen to play.

"But it's going to be a challenge just to get into the Celtic team, and if I can do that then I'll start thinking about the Scotland thing."

The Cheshire-born defender continued: "I'm just enjoying every minute of it. It's been a bit of a whirlwind, but all the lads have welcomed me.

"I knew what a massive club Celtic are. My dad's been to a few Old Firm games and had told me about how passionate the fans are.

"He used to buy me the kits, and things like that. I went round the tour at Celtic Park with my dad when I was at Stranraer, and I said to him, Imagine playing here'.

"Now, three years down the line, I have been given the chance to do that."

If Fox can be part of a Celtic side which marches into the fourth and final qualifying round of the Champions League, he will well and truly have arrived. It is a huge ask, given the fact they trail 1-0 from the first leg and face a Dinamo side bolstered by the return of their captain Dmitry Khoklov.

But, even in his short time at the club, Fox has discovered that mission impossible is not a phrase understood in Celtic parlance.

He trusts that the basic values Mowbray has brought with him will stand them in good stead this evening.

And if they do, he believes they could provide the platform from which a historic result can be achieved.

Fox said: "The gaffer has only been here a few weeks, but he's instilled it into the lads to play football, and I think that's the best way.

"He's a football man, and that's the way I like to play as well. When I was signing, he told me all about the club's great history and how passionate the fans are.

"If I'm to succeed here, I need to be able to play under that pressure."