With the international break heading into its final week, the Celtic supporters will be thinking about the next two big fixtures Brendan Rodgers faces when the season resumes.
Celtic face Aberdeen this Saturday in what is being hyped up to be the game of the season. Both teams are unbeaten so far in the Scottish Premiership and the Parkhead fixture will tell people a lot about whether or not Jimmy Thelin’s team can challenge Celtic and Rangers.
But then after that, the Champions League resumes and a trip to Atalanta beckons and Brendan Rodgers will be desperate to avoid another Celtic performance and defeat like the one the fans witnessed in Dortmund.
Which is why Stiliyan Petrov has told Celtic what they need to do now to have a chance in Italy and how they can progress in the tournament.
Petrov on what’s ‘important’ for Celtic to get a result at Atalanta
Speaking of the Dortmund result, Petrov has told Celtic to show a positive reaction and recover from the hammering in Germany to help them compete against Atalanta.
Petrov told The Sunday Post print edition page 78, “The last result in the Champions League was extremely disappointing. You can’t be conceding seven goals.
“But Borussia Dortmund were ruthless that night and showed what a top team they are. Nothing can be done about that fixture. It’s about what comes next, that’s the most important thing. It’s about
being able to recover.
“It is Atalanta away and, maybe, that will be an even harder match than the one in Germany. The Italians are a top team and they will be formidable on their park.”
Why Petrov believes a Celtic draw at Atalanta would be ‘phenomenal’
There is no doubt that getting a result against the current Europa League holders will be tough but if Celtic can pull it off, Petrov thinks that it will leave his old club with a great chance of progressing out of the league phase.
Petrov continued, “If Celtic can leave Italy with a point that would be a phenomenal result. But it’s also about the five games after that and the chance to pick up points at home.
“The calculations are that nine points will probably get you into the top 24. If you get 10 points then you will be going on in the tournament. With three home games left, that’s the kind of number that Brendan’s team can achieve. They need to be looking at that.
“With three points just now, they can get six or seven more, for sure. Getting that wonderful win against Bratislava will give the team confidence for every home game in Europe.”
Looking at Celtic’s fixtures after the Atalanta match, Brendan Rodgers will face RB Leipzig on the 5th of November and then Club Brugge on the 27th at home.
If the Celtic boss can negotiate six points from those two games then the Bhoys will be nailed on to make it out of the league with three games left to play regardless of the Atalanta result.
But the Celtic fans and Rodgers will be desperate to get something positive from the Serie A side because after that humiliating defeat to Dortmund, this Celtic team will be desperate to prove that they have what it takes to compete with UEFA’s elite clubs.
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