Rodgers wants Celtic to show it can mix with elite
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers wants his team to show it can take on the best in the world when it hosts Atletico Madrid on Thursday (NZDT)
The Hoops are looking for their first points of the Champions League campaign after going down against Feyenoord with nine men and losing to a last-gasp goal against Lazio after being denied the lead for a second time by a marginal offside decision.
“We are playing one of the top clubs in the world and one of the best teams," Rodgers said. “We want to be able to take on the best teams in the world. We don’t have to be the best in the world but we certainly want to be able to take them on.”
Celtic warmed up with a dominant display in Sunday’s 4-1 win over Hearts.
“The players will go into it with great confidence,” Rodgers said.
“It will be an amazing atmosphere, we will try to start with energy and quality and devise a plan.
“The players have been unfortunate they haven’t picked up something. In the two games the performance level has been good, considering we had nine men against Feyenoord and the last game was hugely frustrating.
“But a great chance to play against a really good team and see if we can get our first points on the board.”
In-form midfielder Matt O’Riley will go into the game with a positive mindset after hitting his sixth goal of the season in style at Tynecastle.
The 22-year-old said: “If we play well and take our chances, and we believe we can do it, then anything is possible.
“We have seen that before in previous Champions League games in the past, I think performance is definitely there, it’s just a matter of being ruthless in both boxes to be honest.”
