BRENDAN RODGERS is adamant his Celtic players will handle the pressure of their Champions League play-off confrontation at Parkhead tomorrow night.
The Hoops, under Ronny Deila, have missed out in the previous two years, toppling out against Sovenia’s NK Maribor and Sweden’s Malmo.
But Rodgers is confident the team will stand up to the challenge of Isreali champions Hapoel Be’er Sheva on this occasion.
He said: “The last couple of seasons have gone by and the players learn from those experiences.
“But it’s also a new team with new ideas, a new identity and we’ve shown over this early part of the season an ability to deal with pressure.
“We’ve talked about that. This is a team that went to Hearts on the back of a really difficult qualifier in midweek but came through it.
“There are various checkpoints in games where you are asked questions under pressure and so far I’ve been really pleased with how the players have coped.
“This will be the same. We’re very calm, but we understand that over the course of the two games there will be moments where we have to cope with it.
“But, looking at how the boys have been working, I see no reason why we can’t.
“We’re playing the champions of another country, but we’re ready to accept the challenge.
“Hopefully, the players have positive experiences they can take in having learned from the past.”
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