Mick McCarthy feels for Neil Lennon

Wolves boss Mick McCarthy has relayed his sympathy for Neil Lennon over the death threats to his Celtic counterpart as he prepared to face the Scottish giants.

McCarthy, who spent two successful years as a player at Celtic Park from 1987-89, branded the hostility towards Lennon as "dreadful."

The Celtic boss has received several threats on his life in the wake of his angry touchline bust-up with Rangers manager Ally McCoist last season, while he was attacked by a fan at Hearts' Tynecastle ground.

And McCarthy said: "Some of the stuff that happened with Neil last year was dreadful. The threats he had - that shouldn't be in the game.

"We're all passionate about it - we get angry, we love it and we get happy but it should end on the pitch.

"He shouldn't have had to go through that."

Tonight's friendly is the first meeting between the clubs in over 50 years and the fourth in total.

The most famous game came on 12 October 1959 when Wolves, as champions of England, beat a youthful Celtic side 2-0 with 45,000 watching a Monday night match.

A minute's silence will be observed before tonight's friendly in memory of the 76 people who died in the attacks in Norway last Friday.

Celtic's Norwegian defender Thomas Rogne will also lay a wreath at the side of the pitch in memory of the victims.