BRENDAN RODGERS insists Celtic are more prepared for the Champions League than ever before.
The Hoops kick off their Euro campaign against Slovan Bratislava at home on Wednesday.
3
It’s Rodgers‘ fourth tilt at the group stage as Celtic boss.
And after a flurry of summer signings, he insists his team are now ready to make a real impact.
He said: “There’s absolutely no doubt, this feels like the most ready I’ve been as a Celtic manager coming into a Champions League campaign.
“Naturally because of the qualification phase and the doubt around all of that and trying to get players in later on on the back of that.
“Last season coming in, trying to find out about players and managing them through that and then seeing them in the competition.
“But having had a year under my belt back here and seeing all the players and being able to improve a lot of the areas that I want, there’s still areas that we want to improve in, but certainly the readiness is a great word.
“That feeling of arriving at this first game will be the best place that probably I’ve been in since I’ve been here.”
Rodgers also insists his side are under no extra pressure to get off to a winning start tonight.
He added: “We cope with pressure every week.
“I think that’s what being a Celtic player and in particular a Celtic manager is.
“So there’s no change in that aspect.
“The key thing of course is my job then to regulate that pressure for the squad and allow them to go and express themselves on play and that’s what we’ve been doing.
“We’ve been thinking about what we want to achieve from the summer.
“We now go into this first game, we’re playing at home, we want to start off with a really good performance and get three points and we’ll be bringing that energy to the game and intensity to hopefully make that happen.
“But the pressure is a part of the job here.”
Rodgers has targeted a play-off spot for the last 16 after the eight group game clashes.
He added: “I think our intention firstly is to reach the play-off.
“I think if you look at the teams that go through then over the course of the eight games, I think you’re really looking to reach that play-off phase.
3
3
“That would certainly be the objective that I would set first and foremost and then from there you can then gauge it.
“It’s a brilliant opportunity for us. And we know that in particular in this campaign over the course of the eight games, the home games will be absolutely vital for us.
Read more on the Scottish Sun
“So bringing that energy from the pitch to encourage our support, which we know is unrivalled. I think everyone loves the possibility to come here but we know that we have to excite the supporters on the field.
“So that opportunity of course makes us really look forward to the game.”
Our New YouTube Channel
Subscribe to our new Scottish Sun Sport YouTube channel for all the latest football news, views and amazing moments.
We’ve got every major development covered from Celtic, Rangers, Hearts, Hibs, Aberdeen and the rest of the Scottish Premiership.
Plus we have TWO brilliant new podcasts to watch every week…
MONDAY
Go Ballistic with Roger Hannah and special guest Kris Boyd will dissect all the weekend action and deliver their no-holds-barred reaction.
WEDNESDAY
Robert Grieve and Bill Leckie chew over the tastiest topics in Scottish football and offer their unique takes in their Coffee Club.
FRIDAY
Go Ballistic is back with Roger Hannah and top tipster Jim Delahunt looking ahead to the weekend games and analysing the biggest talking points.
Subscribe now and don’t miss a thing.
Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
