Celtic are in an exciting frame of mind with their Champions League clash against Borussia Dortmund on the immediate horizon and have started the campaign in excellent form.
Brendan Rodgers is enjoying his side’s synchronicity on the pitch, which has led to the Bhoys going on a nine-match winning run across all competitions.
However, their test away to Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park will be a major step up from their usual level of opposition. Nuri Sahin’s men were Champions League finalists last season and brought in the likes of Serhou Guirassy and Yan Couto during the summer window.
Frustratingly, Celtic defender Cameron Carter-Vickers is injured and misses out, meaning Auston Trusty is most likely to come in and partner Liam Scales.
Despite the setback, Dortmund captain Emre Can has pointed to three Bhoys he believes can cause the hosts problems.
Emre Can ‘impressed’ by three key Celtic players
Per The Daily Record, Can has eluded to Kyogo Furuhashi, Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda as a trio Dortmund need to watch out for on home soil. He also made it clear his side are not taking Celtic lightly after their ‘exhibition’ against Slovan Bratislava.
He stated: “A match in this competition is never easy and with the new format, you can’t fail to win at home. It would be a big mistake for us not to defeat Celtic on Tuesday.
“When the draw was made, maybe people thought this game would be comfortable for us but after Celtic’s exhibition against Slovan, the impressions have changed.
“We’ve been impressed by the work of the Japanese players at Celtic. We have to stop those players in Dortmund.”
Celtic carry more threats besides the trio provided
Seeing as Furuhashi, Maeda, and Hatate are three of Celtic’s more established players, it is easy to see why Can has exclusively referenced them, but there are more threats for Dortmund to keep an eye on within this side.
Nicolas Kuhn has enjoyed a flying start this term and sits on 13 goal contributions in nine appearances, carrying an element of unpredictability to his game that is now infused with end product.
Meanwhile, Paulo Bernardo has scored in consecutive Celtic matches and is becoming a more polished presence in midfield with every passing week.
Dortmund may well be a distinguished opponent that will be difficult to topple in their own backyard. Nevertheless, the Bhoys aren’t travelling over to make up the numbers, you can be assured of that.
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