Brendan Rodgers Urges Celtic Park’s Magic for Club Brugge Clash
Brendan Rodgers has urged his team to be motivated by the atmosphere at Celtic Park as they get ready for a crucial Champions League matchup with Club Brugge.
After their thrilling wins over Slovan Bratislava, RB Leipzig, and Feyenoord last season, the Hoops are looking to win four straight home games in Europe.
It has not been typical for Celtic to have a winning streak in the competition. Celtic supporters had to wait more than ten years to witness a home victory prior to the victory over Feyenoord last season.
Rodgers emphasised the special force of Celtic Park on European evenings and exhorted his team to match the fervour of the supporters with a powerful on-field showing.
The manager told Celtic TV, “I think it’s for us, again, another opportunity to show the power of Celtic Park.”
“I’ve got absolutely no doubt that every team and their supporters will feel that their football ground is special and really special to be there, to play there and I respect that. But I know this club and I know the fans and I know the stadium, so I know how special it really is to play here and how difficult it can be.
“But what you have to be able to do is match that with the performance and that’s something that has really pleased me in these recent home games in the Champions League.
Come and understand you’re going to be in for a game here, and the mix of the team and the fan base makes it a really tough night. It’s not just a checkbox for players to come here and teams to come and say they’ve played at Celtic Park. I believe there is no question. When you listen to other players, you’ll probably notice more. I do, however, also listen to my own players. We don’t take it for granted because of the sense it gives us.
“I hoped that when I returned here, I would be able to connect it, which was to have that fire, that passion, and that emotion off the pitch.”
“So that was the challenge and you can see when that is all connected, what it brings. Like the Red Bull Leipzig, the feeling that it gives, not just for that night, but the supporters the next day and for days after. The feeling of watching the team compete at European level and play at a level of football. So that’s what we want to bring and it definitely does.”
A win against Club Brugge would not only extend Celtic’s unbeaten home run in this season’s Champions League but also edge them closer to the knockout stage for the round of 16.
Already on 7 points, the data has suggested that 10 points could be the magic number to finish in the top 28.
Celtic Park often has a great atmosphere on Champions League nights, but given the run that the team are on just now, Parkhead will be rocking on Wednesday night for the 8 pm kickoff.
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