Brendan Rodgers has praised Aberdeen’s outstanding start to the season following their 2-1 victory over Rangers at Pittodrie on Wednesday night, which brings the Dons level on points with Celtic. Despite praising Aberdeen for their performance against the Ibrox side, Rodgers made it clear that his major emphasis remains on Celtic, particularly with a League Cup semi-final against Aberdeen coming up at Hampden.
Rodgers highlighted the recent increase in competition at the top of the league in his statements following Celtic’s 2-0 home win over Dundee, in which Alistair Johnston and Arne Engels scored twice in the second half. “Listen, Aberdeen has had a great start. That’s a fantastic result for them,” he told Record Sport, praising Jimmy Thelin’s team, which is now only two points behind Celtic on goal difference, with both clubs nine points ahead of Rangers.
However, Rodgers swiftly returned his emphasis to his own team’s campaign. “But, as I’m sure you understand, my primary emphasis is on Celtic. Our players have also had a fantastic start in terms of how they’ve been playing, the goals they’ve scored, their defensive strength in the main, and their place in the Champions League,” he continued.
The Celtic manager also stated that he prefers to measure development after 10 league games, but considering the team’s early-season form, he believes it is in a “really good place” heading into Hampden.
Saturday’s semi-final promises to be a tough affair as Aberdeen attempts to build on their league momentum. Rodgers, on the other hand, looks forward to the big occasion. “Semifinals are always exciting events. I enjoy coming to Hampden, and we are at a great location for it. “We’ve got players returning, and hopefully it’ll be a really exciting game,” he added, evidently confident in his team’s readiness for the challenge.
With players recovering from injuries and confidence building, Rodgers and his team will seek to keep their momentum and take another step towards retaining the League Cup. It will not be easy against a confident Aberdeen team. This game is for a spot in the League Cup final, but the subtext of what’s going on in the league will run throughout the match.
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