BHOYS WILL BACK GRIFF
BY MICHAEL GANNON BRENDAN RODGERS reckons Leigh Griffiths will hear the Celtic support behind him tonight – but the Parkhead wall of sound could spook Salzburg.
The Hoops boss insisted life will go on without the hitman as he takes time out to deal with ongoing personal issues and his squad can’t afford to get distracted going in to the crunch Europa League clash with the Austrians.
Celts just need a point to reach the knockout stages and Rodgers is convinced his men are ready to show what they are about.
When asked if he expected Hoops fans to rally round Griff, he said: “I’m sure but our focus, and that of the supporters, is on the football.
“It should be an incredible atmosphere, the wall of noise that comes from the stadium. The Salzburg guys, some of them won’t have experienced it before and for us it’s a great energy for our team and how we play. So we look to get the job done.
“They come into it having won five games, they have a great record, but our focus is to continue with our game and how we’ve been playing and show our true face.
“We didn’t do that in Salzburg but the Leipzig game at home we showed our true selves and this is an opportunity for them.
“It has the feel of a big game, a game that we’re really looking forward to. Rightly so because of our form, and not just how we have been playing in the last two or three months.
“In Europe, we’ve got better and better as the competitions have gone on.
“We maybe start off a bit slow but we have always got better. We know it’s a tough test for us but we know we need a result.”
Rodgers, still without Dedryck Boyata, insisted Celts won’t play for a point.
He said: “It’s not workable to play for a draw. That doesn’t happen in football.
“You go out to win and see how the game evolves and take it from there.
“We’ve put ourselves in a really good position. It’s in our hands and we want to grab that.”