BRENDAN RODGERS insists he is NOT concentrating on the Scottish Cup Final as he prepares his team for the dress rehearsal at Pittodrie tomorrow night.
Celtic take on the Dons in the penultimate Premiership encounter of yet another successful season before they face the same opponents in the showpiece confrontation at Hampden a week on Saturday.
In between the clashes with Jimmy Thelin’s side, the champions, of course, have Flag Day to look forward to for the thirteenth time in 14 years when St Mirren provide the opposition at Parkhead on Saturday before the club’s 55th crown in presented.
Rodgers admitted the end-of-season extravaganza and the opportunity to seal the Hoops’ sixth treble in four years will be put on the back-burner.
He will be without Cameron Carter-Vickers, rested again after missing the 3-1 win over Hibs, while 33-goal man Daizen Maeda won’t travel with the squad to the north-east after sustaining a “niggling” injury.
NON-STARTER…injured Daizen Maeda will miss tomorrow’s match at Pittodrie.
Rodgers said: “It’s been such a long season for us, so many games.
“I said that over the course of the games, the team will change and that’s what will happen in this game.
“My longer-term goal over this period was to get the squad in the best condition that I possibly could and that means getting players some minutes in games.
“The Scottish Cup Final is a special game in itself and when that comes in 11 days’ time, we’ll be ready for that.
“There’s a different context to this game tomorrow night. The game is different, but it doesn’t change our ambition.
“We want to win the game and, importantly, we want to play well.”
Looking ahead, Rodgers, speaking to Celtic TV, continued: “We want to be a team that’s competitive in the Champions League, so, firstly, we’ve got to get there in the summer and we can build on this season’s campaign.
“I think that the players have performed at a high level this season. That’s what we want to do is sustain that level and sustain that European feeling, that’s what’s important here.
GREEN FOR GO…Daizen Maeda at Lennoxtown today.
“So, if we can build on this year and look to develop, we’ll be really excited for next season to take on the challenge of the league again and look to progress in Europe.”
Rodgers was also named the Glen’s Premiership Manager of the Year and added: “It is a real honour to receive this award and it is one for us all.
“The players, my backroom team and all the staff at the club who have worked so hard right across the season to deliver such a high level of consistency and success.
“We have produced some great performances across the season and some great numbers, which have been the foundation for us wining the Premiership title so convincingly.
“Our aim at the start of every season will be to bring exciting, attacking and winning football to our fans and we are pleased to have done that again this year.”
Now we await the thrilling grand finale, kicking off with the Pittodrie encounter tomorrow night.
