Celtic are closing in on their glamour Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund, and there is major excitement across the continent as both clubs face off at Signal Iduna Park.
On matchday one, the Bhoys thumped Slovan Bratislava 5-1 in front of a raucous home support. However, the challenge of coming away from Germany with a positive result is an entirely different kettle of fish.
Dortmund boss Nuri Sahin has refused to label Celtic ‘underdogs’ for the tie and is wary of the threat they pose amid their imperious domestic start, illustrating his respect for the visitors.
Brendan Rodgers will have plenty of respect for his managerial counterpart, who he formerly coached in a brief loan spell the former Turkey international had at Liverpool over a decade ago.
Transitioning to the current state of play, the Irishman has singled out a classy operator he will be determined to stop as the Bhoys plot a historic night in North-Rhine Westphalia.
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers lauds ‘quality’ Emre Can
Speaking to official Celtic media channels, Rodgers admitted that he is looking forward to seeing Dortmund midfielder Emre Can, another of his former players while in charge of Liverpool.
Singling the Germany international out for praise, the Irishman delved into why the veteran midfielder was ‘brilliant’ under his stewardship and continues to thrive at Signal Iduna Park.
He stated: “I’m looking forward to seeing Emre Can. Emre was a player that was absolutely brilliant for me at Liverpool.
“I travelled out here to Germany to convince him to come to Liverpool as a young player, he came in and he was absolutely fantastic. Wherever I asked him to play, he played with real maturity and quality, so he’s the captain here and he’s a very, very good player also.”
How can Celtic plan to thwart Borussia Dortmund’s threat
Last year’s Champions League finalists pose a wealth of attacking talent, with Serhou Guirassy, Donyell Malen and Karem Adeyemi all likely to play some part against Celtic.
Regardless, Rodgers has backed his Bhoys’ ‘resilience’ in the face of the challenge they face, claiming their off-ball grit and determination will pave the way to ‘hurt’ Sahin’s outfit with their speed in possession.
He said: “I’m not looking for perfection. I’m just looking for us to be really, really difficult to play against and give everything that we have. And to bring our game, which is to press, to fight, to run. We know at times that quality drives you back and it’s about having resilience in those moments.
“We also know that we have a game that can hurt teams with our football and our speed. So I’m really excited about seeing that.”
You can see why Celtic hold faith in their own ability no matter the opposition, they deserve on the biggest stage and aren’t here to make up the numbers.
Now, it is about putting their principles into practice against Dortmund, which can hopefully yield a famous result.
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