Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers is refusing to buy any external narratives as the Bhoys take on Slovan Bratislava tomorrow in the Champions League.
As they get their teeth into the new league phase, the reigning Scottish Premiership champions will hope to start their journey off with three points on home soil in front of a raucous crowd.
Slovan Bratislava have never competed in the Champions League competition proper. However, they sit top of the Slovak Super Liga coming into the tie and won’t be daunted by the challenge ahead after navigating a difficult qualifying path.
Defeating Struga, Celje, APOEL and FC Midtjylland on their way to the league phase, Vladimir Weiss believes the visitors can spring a shock on matchday one.
Speaking ahead of the clash, Rodgers isn’t taking anything for granted despite talk that Celtic could be viewed as favourites before kick-off commences.
Brendan Rodgers on Slovan Bratislava
Live on Sky Sports News, Rodgers remained adamant that he is refusing to buy into any ‘narrative’ circulated elsewhere about tomorrow’s game. He will treat the visitors with the respect they deserve despite some hinting the tie could be a favourable one for Celtic.
He stated when asked about the dynamic of Celtic’s opening fixture: “Not really, I think it’s normal. We come into every game and respect every single opponent that we play. Obviously, there will be a narrative around this game, which I totally get, but I look at Bratislava, and I only have to look through my own experiences here.
“They’ve had eight games, four ties to actually get to this stage, so the amount of work and fighting spirit they’ve needed to have to reach this level, you can never ever underestimate that.
“For some, it might not be fashionable; there might be other teams with bigger histories and bigger clubs, but for us, we know it’s a team we have to really respect, but we also know that we are playing at home.
“We’re in a really good mood, playing well, intense, being consistent and we just want to take that and bring that energy to the stands and hopefully we can have a really good night, but we know we have to work hard.”
Celtic need to start with a victory against Slovan Bratislava
Stat trackers estimate that Celtic could claim around 9.7 points from the league phase, offering the Bhoys a 57.2% chance of progression to the knockout playoff round based on their draw.
However, fine margins decide matches at the top table; there is little margin for error no matter the opposition, and everyone who enters the new format is here on merit.
Starting with three points tomorrow night is critical. Tough tests against Borussia Dortmund and Atalanta on the road are up next before a home clash against RB Leipzig; it doesn’t get any easier.
Nevertheless, it is refreshing to see that Rodgers isn’t leaving anything to chance tomorrow. Celtic have fire in their belly, now it is over to them to fly the flag for Scotland in Europe’s premier competition.
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