BULL FIGHTER
RB LEIPZIG...2 CELTIC...0 Rodgers: Dump Leipzig at home or Euro dream is dead
BRENDAN RODGERS last night labelled Celtic’s rematch with RB Leipzig win or bust after more away-day misery left their Europa League dream hanging in the balance.
Despite a promising start Rodgers’s injury-hit troops shipped two quickfire first-half goals to go down in Germany.
It leaves them with three points at the halfway stage of Group B and struggling to reach the last 32. To rub salt in their wounds Jozo Simunovic and Cristian Gamboa are almost certainly out of Sunday’s Betfred Cup semi-final against Hearts after both defenders joined the lengthy crock list.
Rodgers will assess his patched-up squad this morning ahead of the cup crunch
and hopes he’ll have his main men back for the return with Leipzig on November 8 that will decide his side’s Euro fate.
After sloppy defending again cost the Hoops on the big stage, Rodgers said: “We’ve seen enough to know we can win the game at home when the players come back.
“From tonight’s general performance I believe it’s well within our capabilities.
“If we are going to have any aspiration of getting through the group it’s a game we have to win. That will be our objective.
“We’ve lost two away matches against very good sides and we’ve got three points on the board.
“But we always knew our home games would be vital and we would try to pick up something away.
“There are three other sides, two who really are Champions League level, but we are still in with a great chance.
“We have to look to win the next game at home and if we don’t it becomes really difficult.”
Celtic lost Scott Brown, Leigh Griffiths and Tom Rogic pre-match. Now Simunovic is a major concern after being stretchered off in the second half with an ankle injury. Gamboa – preferred to Mikael Lustig in a tactical switch – had a horror night and tweaked his hamstring after selling himself in the buildup to Leipzig’s second goal.
Rodgers now only has Jack Hendry and Filip Benkovic fit to play centreback at Murrayfield.
On Simunovic, Rodgers added: “Looks like he’ll be struggling. He took an awkward landing.
“He will be a question mark for the weekend.
“Unfortunately Dedryck Boyata who I thought was outstanding tonight isn’t available at the weekend.
“Cristian felt a tightness. When you come off with that type of injury it can be a major doubt.”
Two poor goals lost in a crazy four-minute spell before half-time killed Celtic’s chances of a first win on German soil.
Rodgers said: “Of course it’s frustrating, especially when you make a good start in the game.
“It’s not any great piece of play undoing us. It’s mistakes that cost you.
“It hurts you at this level. We will analyse what we can do better in defending those moments and then try to correct it.
“But there were a lot of positives from the game.
“We had a great early chance with Odsonne.
“And we had a period of 15 minutes when we made a mistake from a cross and got punished.
“It knocked us for 5-10 minutes and they got the second but we regrouped, changed our shape and found a better comfort in defending the spaces.
“We had a chance late on. If we get to 2-1 it makes it an interesting finish.”