Celtic know that they have a mammoth trip to Kazakhstan awaiting them in the next week.
Brendan Rodgers’ side host Kairat Almaty in the Champions League play-offs for a spot in the main phase of the competition.
Fans travelling to Almaty face a gruelling journey to a place further east than Afghanistan and Pakistan that takes place just days before the first Glasgow derby of the season.
It’s a journey that has been done before by Aberdeen and one former player has told them exactly what to expect.
Adam Rooney thinks Celtic would’ve preferred to play Slovan Bratislava
Had Kairat failed to get through, Celtic would’ve ended up facing Slovakian opposition in Slovan Bratislava.
While it would’ve been the tougher tie on paper, the travel would’ve been far easier to deal with and former Aberdeen star Adam Rooney believes that the Hoops would’ve preferred to have gone up against Slovan.
“I’m sure Celtic would rather be going to Bratislava, just logistically it’s an awful lot closer,” Rooney told the Daily Record.
“More so for the fans because you can’t expect many of them to travel over to Kazakhstan.
“But the players, especially some of the lads in the Celtic team, might be involved in international set-ups and stuff that so they’re used to travelling further abroad anyway.
Adam Rooney backs Celtic to be prepared for Kazakhstan trip
The trip to Kazakhstan is a daunting prospect but with the modern comforts and ways of adapting to the new climate, Rooney thinks Celtic will be more than okay in Central Asia.
He added: “Celtic will be prepared, I’m sure. Going abroad it’s hard to actually work out the levels.
“I’m sure the lads at Celtic are a lot more adapted to it when playing in the Champions League qualifiers.
“They’ll just want to look after themselves and make sure they play to their capabilities.”
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