BRENDAN RODGERS insists he will treat the Scottish Cup-tie against part-time Albion Rovers with the same importance as a Champions League encounter.
The Hoops boss admitted the preparation for Sunday’s match are the same as if they were playing this season’s Group C opponents in the elite European competition.
Rodgers said: “Every game is studied to the umpteenth degree.
“The minute you don’t, is when you have an issue, you become loose and soft and that’s when you suffer.
“The minute we knew they were our next opponents we afforded them the same respect as Barcelona, Manchester City and Borussia Monchengladbach.
“So, it’s another game we must ensure we approach with the same level of concentration as the others we’ve played.
“No matter the league in which they play, we must concentrate.”
The champions have already won the Betfred League Cup and are 19 points clear in the Premiership with a game in hand.
But Rodgers admitted his players will not be allowed to even think about the distractions of chasing a domestic Treble.
The Irishman said: “I tend to depressurise the players in order that they can go and perform.
“There are so many things going on, especially in the modern game – we narrow the focus on performance.
“The consequence of performing is that you win games and then maybe that brings all the other things.
“You think about it bit by bit and we set targets – qualification for the Champions League, done. League Cup, done. The next thing is the title. Can we win it?
“Then there are performance goals in that. Goals we score, goals we concede, can we be ruthless in terms of records that are out there, be the best that we can be?
“If you do that then everything else happens naturally.”
