RODGERS: MISSION IMPROBABLE

BRENDAN RODGERS will take charge of Celtic for the 47th time in European competition against Lazio in Rome this evening.

The Hoops boss knows he needs to achieve his first win in Champions League Group E after losing three and drawing one while the team have conceded TWELVE goals in four games with only three in reply.

Kyogo Furuhashi (2) and Luis Palma have claimed the strikes while the Hoops have also had a trio of players banished over the period – Gustaf Lagerbielke, Odin Holm and Daizen Maeda.

Rodgers now embarks upon Mission Improbable in the Eternal City to turn things around in spectacular fashion.

So far it has been a tale of woe in for the Hoops which kicked off in September with a 2-0 loss to Feyenoord in Rotterdam when Swedish defender Lagerbielke and Norwegian midfielder Holm were dismissed.

Agonisingly, Rodgers then witnessed Lazio snatching a seventh-minute stoppage-time winner through Pedro at Parkhead after Kyogo had netted a seventh-minute breakthrough strike.

The Japanese striker was even quicker off the mark against Atletico Madrd 13 days ago in the east end of Glasgow when he fired the hosts ahead in the fourth minute. Following an Antoine Griezmann leveller, Palma thumped Celtic into the lead again, but once more the men from Madrid came back to gain a draw with an equaliser from Alvaro Morata.

PUZZLED…Brendan Rodgers is searching for a dramatic first win in Rome.

The return game in the Spanish capital three weeks ago saw Maeda red-carded in the 22nd minute before the roof fell in during a one-sided second-half when they piled on the misery with four goals in the runaway 6-0 win.

Now all eyes are on the Olimpico Stadium tonight to see if Rodgers can gain that elusive first victory in this section which could offer the hope of European football after Christmas.

The second time-around manager has guided the Hoops to 16 wins and nine draws while losing 21 of the previous 46 outings.

SEASON 2016/17

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Second qualifying round

Lincoln Red Imps 1 CELTIC 0

CELTIC 3 Lincoln Red Imps 0 (Agg: 3-1)

Lustig, Griffiths, Roberts

Third qualifying round

Astana 1 CELTIC 1

Griffiths

CELTIC 2 Astana 1 (Agg: 3-2)

Griffiths (pen), Dembele (pen)

Play-Off Round

CELTIC 5 Hapoel Be’er Sheva 2

Rogic, Griffiths (2), Dembele, Brown

Hapoel Be’er Sheva 2 CELTIC 0 (Agg: 5-4)

GROUP STAGES

Barcelona 7 CELTIC 0

CELTIC 0 Barcelona 2

CELTIC 3 Manchester City 3

Dembele (2), Sterling (og)

Manchester City 1 CELTIC 1

Roberts

CELTIC 0 Borussia Monchengladbach 2

Borussia Monchengladbach 1 CELTIC 1

Dembele (pen)

SEASON 2017/18

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Second qualifying round

Linfield 0 CELTIC 2

Haughney (og), Rogic

CELTIC 4 Linfield 0 (Agg: 6-0)

Sinclair (2), Rogic, Armstrong

Third qualifying round

CELTIC 0 Rosenborg 0

Rosenborg 0 CELTIC 1 (Agg: 1-0)

Forrest

Play-Off Round

CELTIC 5 Astana 0

Postnikov (og), Sinclair (2), Forrest, Shitov (og)

Astana 4 CELTIC 3 (Agg: 8-4)

Sinclair, Ntcham, Griffiths

GROUP STAGES

CELTIC 0 PSG 5

PSG 7 CELTIC 1

Dembele

Bayern Munich 3 CELTIC 0

CELTIC 1 Bayern Munich 2

McGregor

Anderlecht 0 CELTIC 3

Griffiths, Roberts, Sinclair

CELTIC 0 Anderlecht 1

EUROPA LEAGUE LAST 32

CELTIC 1 Zenit St Petersburg 0

McGregor

Zenit St Petersburg 3 CELTIC 0 (Agg: 1-3)

SEASON 2018/19

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

First qualifying round

Alashkert 0 CELTIC 3

Edouard, Forrest, McGregor

CELTIC 3 Alashkert 0 (Agg: 6-0)

Dembele 2 (1 pen), Forrest

Second qualifying round

CELTIC 3 Rosenborg 1

Edouard 2, Ntcham

Rosenborg 0 CELTIC 0 (Agg: 3-1)

Third qualifying round

CELTIC 1 AEK Athens 1

McGregor

AEK Athens 2 CELTIC 1 (Agg: 2-3)

Sinclair

EUROPA LEAGUE PLAY-OFF

FK Sudova 1 CELTIC 1

Ntcham

CELTIC 3 FK Sudova 0 (Agg: 4-1)

Griffiths, McGregor, Ajer

GROUP STAGES

CELTIC 1 Rosenborg 0

Griffiths

Rosenborg 0 CELTIC 1

Sinclair

RB Salzburg 2 CELTIC 0

CELTIC 1 RB Salzburg 2

Ntcham

RB Leipzig 2 CELTIC 0

CELTIC 2 RB Leipzig 1

Tierney, Edouard

ROUND OF 32

CELTIC 0 Valencia 2

Valencia 1 CELTIC 0 (Agg: 0-3)

SEASON 2023/24

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

GROUP STAGES

Feyenoord 2 CELTIC 0

CELTIC 1 Lazio 2

Kyogo

CELTIC 2 Atletico Madrid 2

Kyogo, Palma

Atletico Madrid 6 CELTIC 0

* DON’T miss the unbeatable match report from Lazio v Celtic this evening – only in your champion CQN.

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