BRENDAN RODGERS would welcome the possibility of facing old club Liverpool in the Champions League.
The Celtic boss saw the Hoops edge closer to the group stages with a runaway 5-0 first play-off win over Astana before the return in Kazakhstan on Tuesday.
The Hoops boss joked with his former Anfield skipper Steven Gerrard, now a BT pundit, after the Parkhead rout.
Liverpool face a battle to qualify as they took a slender 2-1 lead back from Hoffenheim, but Gerrard raised the prospect of the two teams clashing.
Rodgers replied: “They must be paying you to say that, Stevie!
“I hope at some time in the future I can go back to Anfield, I had an incredible time there.
“It’s a phenomenal club so, hopefully, we can both get through and be drawn together in the group stage.
“It’s two clubs with fanatical support, big history and it would be nice.”
He added: “Liverpool have an outstanding squad of players and an outstanding manager and we both want to get there and make sure we’re in the draw.
“It would be fantastic to play there.”
