BRENDAN RODGERS will take charge of Celtic against Lazio tonight for his 22nd European game at Parkhead.
The sequence kicked off with a 3-0 win in a Champions League qualifier against Lincoln Red Imps on July 20 2016 after the shock 1-0 first leg setback in Gibraltar the previous week.
Swedish defender Mikael Lustig got the first goal of the Irishman’s reign at elite level with Leigh Griffiths and on-loan Manchester City winger Patrick Roberts claiming the others.
EURO WATCHING BRIEF…Brendan Rodgers on the touchline for the Europa League match against Valencia in 2019.
Odsonne Edouard notched the final strike with the winner against RB Leipzig in the 2-1 Europa League success in November 2018.
The Hoops fired blanks in a 2-0 loss to Valencia in the Round of 32 on February 14 2019, 12 days before Rodgers’ first stint as Celtic gaffer came to a conclusion.
In all, the Irishman saw his team win 11, lose seven and draw three of the previous 21 matches under the lights in the east end of Glasgow. The side hit 38 goals and conceded 25 over the period.
GOAL OF A START…Mikael Lustig fires in the first strike of Brendan Rodgers’ Euro adventure at Parkhead as Celtic overcome Lincoln Red Imps 3-0 in July 2016.
THE RECORD
SEASON 2016/17
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Second qualifying round
CELTIC 3 Lincoln Red Imps 0 (Agg: 3-1)
Lustig, Griffiths, Roberts
Third qualifying round
CELTIC 2 Astana 1 (Agg: 3-2)
Griffiths (pen), Dembele (pen)
Play-Off Round
CELTIC 5 Hapoel Be’er Sheva 2 (Agg: 5-4)
Rogic, Griffiths (2), Dembele, Brown
GROUP STAGES
CELTIC 0 Barcelona 2
CELTIC 3 Manchester City 3
Dembele (2), Sterling (og)
CELTIC 0 Borussia Monchengladbach 2
THE ENDGAME…Brendan Rodgers and a disappointed Scott Brown come off the pitch after the manager’s last Euro experience at Parkhead, a 2-0 Europa League loss to Valencia in February 2019.
SEASON 2017/18
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Second qualifying round
CELTIC 4 Linfield 0 (Agg: 4-2)
Sinclair (2), Rogic, Armstrong
Third qualifying round
CELTIC 0 Rosenborg 0 (Agg: 1-0)
Play-Off Round
CELTIC 5 Astana 0 (Agg: 8-4)
Postnikov (og), Sinclair (2), Forrest, Shitov (og)
GROUP STAGES
CELTIC 0 PSG 5
CELTIC 1 Bayern Munich 2
McGregor
CELTIC 0 Anderlecht 1
EUROPA LEAGUE LAST 32
CELTIC 1 Zenit St Petersburg 0 (Agg: 1-3)
McGregor
THE LAST HURRAH…Ryan Christie congratulates Odsonne Edouard on his winning strike against RB Leipzig in November 2018, the final Euro goal during Brendan Rodgers’ first reign.
SEASON 2018/19
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
First qualifying round
CELTIC 3 Alashkert 0 (Agg: 6-0)
Dembele 2 (1pen), Forrest
Second qualifying round
CELTIC 3 Rosenborg 1 (Agg: 3-1)
Edouard 2, Ntcham
Third qualifying round
CELTIC 1 AEK Athens 1 (Agg: 2-3)
McGregor
EUROPA LEAGUE PLAY-OFF
CELTIC 3 FK Sudova 0 (Agg: 4-1)
Griffiths, McGregor, Ajer
GROUP STAGES
CELTIC 1 Rosenborg 0
Griffiths
CELTIC 1 RB Salzburg 2
Ntcham
CELTIC 2 RB Leipzig 1
Tierney, Edouard
ROUND OF 32
CELTIC 0 Valencia 2 (Agg: 0-3)
* DON’T miss the unbeatable match report from Celtic v Lazio this evening – only in your champion CQN.
