BRENDAN RODGERS will focus on the Champions League as soon as Celtic’s Premier Sports League Cup encounter against Falkirk is taken care of at Parkhead tonight.
Then all eyes will be on the first leg of the play-off against Kairat Almaty at the same venue on Wednesday night with the return in Kazakhstan due six days later.
Victory over the two ties will open the gateway to the £40million prize money in European football’s most prestigious competition.
Last season, Rodgers guided his side to the knock-out phase and only a heartbreaking last-gasp goal against Bayern Munich prevented the Hoops from taking the dramatic confrontation to extra-time in the Allianz Arena.
EURO STAR…Nicolas Kuhn celebrates his goal in Celtic’s agonising encounter against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena in February.
Celtic had led through a 63rd-minute strike from Nicolas Kuhn until the fading moments before a clearance from Cameron Carter-Vickers hit Alphonso Davies at the back post and ricocheted past the helpless Kasper Schmeichel.
The damage had been done in the first game under the lights in the east end of Glasgow when the defence fell asleep at a left-wing corner-kick, failed to pick up Harry Kane and his close-range header gave the Bundesliga giants a crucial 2-1 win.
Rodgers is determined there will be no false start on this occasion and, speaking to BBC Scotland about the 7,000-trip to Almaty in south-eastern Kazakhstan, said: “Everyone would’ve preferred the closer team and not so much travelling, but it is what it is.
“We’ve been there before and we want to make a real push in the first leg to set a standard in that game on Wednesday and we go there the following week and look to qualify.
“It’s such a huge game and when it comes, we’ll be ready for it.”
Celtic met another Kazakh side, Astana, over two legs en route to the Champions League group stages in 2018 when Rodgers’ men won 5-0 at Parkhead, but lost 4-3 away before getting through 8-4 on aggregate.
*DON’T miss the unbeatable match report from Celtic v Falkirk this evening – only in your champion CQN.
