Champions League: Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers is convinced ‘small details’ won’t cost them anything | Football news
Celtic head coach Brendan Rodgers has dismissed the “story” surrounding Slovan Bratislava as absurd and stressed that they expect a tough opening game in the Champions League.
Rodgers expressed confidence ahead of the start of the revamped competition, stressing that the Hoops deserved more last season, when they finished bottom of Group E with four points.
Celtic host the Slovakian champions on Wednesday evening and are favourites against the lowest-ranked team in the competition.
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Manchester City midfielder Rodri has spoken out about the workload on players, saying the number of games they now have to play will lead to player burnout, a view supported by Rodgers.
“We go into every game and respect every single opponent we play against,” Rodgers said.
“Of course there will be a story around this game, which I completely understand, but I look at Bratislava and they had four draws and eight games to even get to this stage.
“The amount of work and fighting spirit they had to put in to reach this level can never be underestimated.
“For some it may not be fashionable, there may be other teams with greater history and bigger clubs, but we know it is a team that we really have to respect.”
“We also know that we are playing at home. We are in a really good mood, are playing well, are consistent and just want to bring that energy to the stands and hopefully have a really good evening.”
“Every team that comes here thinks they are a big team. When you are champions of your country, no matter which country it is, you believe you are a really good team and that is why you play in the Champions League.”
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Celtic have not dropped a point or conceded a goal in the Scottish Premiership this season.
The top eight teams in the league automatically qualify for the knockout phase, while the teams ranked 9th to 24th compete in a home and away play-off for a place in the round of 16 of the competition.
Rodgers believes Celtic are in a better position than last season to impress in Europe.
“If you look at it in detail, people will say you only got four points and then they will moan about that, and the season before that and the season before that,” he added.
“I think last year they were crucial moments, apart from the away game in Madrid where we lost a man early and were punished by a team that had made it to the quarter-finals.
“I think we did well in the other games.
Celtic’s record signing Arne Engels to play against Slovan Bratislava
“We could have won the game against Lazio, we should never have lost it, that’s a lesson.
“At home at Feyenoord we were good and won the game. Away at Feyenoord we were good and in the thick of things. Then we conceded a goal and lost two men and that was a challenge.”
“I thought if we could strengthen the squad we could take another step closer and we have done that.”
“We saw that in pre-season. We used the games against Man City and Chelsea as preparation games for the Champions League and tried to play and work.
“Hopefully we will go into this with the lessons learned from last season and know that at this level it’s the really small details that count.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to compete with the best teams. From a coaching and management perspective, it’s always a big challenge.”
How does the new “league phase” format work?
The 36 teams form a single league, with each participant playing against eight different clubs, four at home and four away. Three points are awarded for a win and one for a draw.
The top eight teams in the league automatically qualify for the knockout phase, while the teams ranked 9th to 24th compete in a home and away play-off for a place in the round of 16 of the competition.
The last twelve teams are eliminated and have no access to the Europa League.
