BRENDAN RODGERS insists Celtic have moved on from their Viaplay League Cup exit against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park in August.
The Hoops boss saw the holders crash out of the competition in only the third game of his return to the club.
Rodgers’ remarkable sequence of 24 successive knock-out wins during his seven consecutive trophy triumphs first time-around came to an abrupt halt in Ayrshire when the team toppled to a 1-0 loss.
TAKING NOTE…Brendan Rodgers writes in his notepad at Rugby Park in August.
Back then, the Irishman took the opportunity to bring in Swedish new Bhoy Odin Holm against Derek McInnes’ side and Sead Haksabanovic, now on loan at Stoke City, also made a second-half appearance as a substitute for Matt O’Riley.
Maik Nawrocki, in only his third game since his £4.3million arrival from Legia Warsaw, limped off at the final whistle and hasn’t featured since.
Rodgers is preparing his players to go again against Killie in the continued quest for Premiership points in the 3pm kick-off in the east end of Glasgow tomorrow with a line-up that will have learned from their reverse seven outings ago.
Reflecting on that afternoon on the hosts’ artificial surface, the Parkhead gaffer said: “We’re in a totally different place to what we were when we played in the Cup game, with the greatest respect.
WATCHING BRIEF…Brendan Rodgers looks on as his amazing Cup run comes to an end.
“When you’re at a big club, playing lots of games, you have to analyse and then move on after 24 hours. That’s the strength of this group.
“We’ve had one or two little upsets in this early part of the season. but the players have responded brilliantly.
“We’ll recover and after a few days we’ll be ready to go again on Saturday with a big attitude and energy in the game.”
Rodgers, speaking to Celtic TV, added: “I just think we’re a different team, a different mentality from that moment.
“Lots of new players were bedding in at that time.
“But Kilmarnock deserved to win it. We’ve learned from that and moved on.”
