CELTIC are potentially just three hours away from a £40million Champions League windfall.
Kairat stand in the way of the massive financial reward with the first leg of the crucial play-off taking place at Parkhead tomorrow night.
Then all eyes will be on the second leg in Kazakhstan on Tuesday in the encounter that will determine who goes into the next stage of European football’s elite competition.
Brendan Rodgers is keenly aware of taking a lead of any sort before travelling thousands of miles for what could be a winner-take-all confrontation.
BRING IT ON…Brendan Rodgers is looking forward to this season’s Champions League challenge. Image courtesy Celtic TV.
The Hoops boss said: “We are very relaxed but focused on the game. We’ve started the season well and put in a really good performance in the last game.
“We’re fully prepared to go into this type of game. There are a number of us who have experienced this before.
“So, we know the importance of the home leg and we are looking forward to it.
“I think that’s how we play, anyway. We set off in every game to go and attack and play our football.
“This will be no different. Two out of the three qualification campaigns I’ve had have been based around a really, really good first leg.
“In both those, we scored five goals. So, for us, it’s about that attacking intent and being really difficult to play against. Hopefully, we can then take an advantage then into the second leg.”
Rodgers, speaking to Celtic TV, continued: “I think like a lot of teams at this level of qualification and in the Champions League are teams that are used to winning.
“You also look at them, they are 20 games into their season. They are well into the campaign, so they’re going to be at a good level of fitness.
THE EQUALISER…Nicolas Kuhn fires in to make it 2-2 on aggregate in the Allianz Arena, but, alas, Celtic’s glory hopes were scuppered by a last-gasp Bayern Munich goal.
“They are a team that like to build the game from behind. Mostly short, and then as they progress through the pitch, the full backs go high and the wingers come inside.”
The Parkhead gaffer added: “So, really as you would expect from a modern team at a really good level, technically, they are strong and play some really good football.
“I think it’s very beneficial when you’ve gone through it, just for mindset, but also for preparation.
“Travelling over there next week, having been there before and understanding how we do timings and set all of that up, it definitely helps to have gone through that qualification process before.”
Celtic were taught a harsh and expensive lesson in the Champions League last season after a dreadful result under the lights in the east end of Glasgow in February when they succumbed to a 2-1 first leg play-off loss to Bayern Munich.
A costly lapse of concentration while defending a left-wing corner-kick allowed Harry Kane the freedom of the penalty box and the prolific Englishman sunk a header behind the exposed Kasper Schmeichel for the winner.
Rodgers’ men were within seconds of taking the return game in the Allianz Arena to extra-time after Nicolas Kuhn had scored around the hour mark.
Unfortunately, Alphonso Davies forced in a Cameron Carter-Vickers clearance and the Hoops’ interest in European competition ended there and then.
