Edouard says Celtic can take the Bull by the horns in Leipzig
ODSONNE Edouard believes on-form Celtic can win their rematch with RB Leipzig this week – and keep their hopes of progressing to the Europa League knockout stages alive.
Edouard scored twice for the Scottish champions in their 5-0 victory over Hearts at Parkhead on Saturday to help extend their winning domestic run to seven games.
The result has given the French striker confidence that Brendan Rodgers’s side can overcome Ralf Rangnick’s team in their crucial Group B match in Glasgow on Thursday night.
The Bundesliga club eased to a comfortable 2-0 triumph against their injury-ravaged opponents when they met at the Red Bull Arena in Saxony last month.
But Edouard said: “It is a home match for us. I think it will be a totally different game to the match in Germany.
“We want to win every match so that will be the same on Thursday evening against Leipzig. We know that this is a really important game for us, so we want to go into it with the best team approach and the best mindset.”
Edouard also feels his side can cope without injured captain Scott Brown against Leipzig.
The 20-year-old has been impressed with how Callum McGregor has performed in the deep-lying central midfield role and believes he can be a key player on Thursday evening.
“Callum is a really good player and has shown that he can fill the position that has been left empty by Scott,” he said.
“The players who are ready just get on with it when people are missing from the team because of injuries.
“Scott is a leader in the team, but I don’t think that it’s only one person. We have many leaders.”
Meanwhile, Edouard stressed he is enjoying playing for Celtic and living in Scotland despite the departure of his close friend Moussa Dembele to Lyon back in August.
“Moussa always keeps in touch,” he said. “He is my friend so I am always going to keep in contact with him. That is natural.
“Moussa still keeps up to date with all the Celtic matches and results. He asks after everyone here.
“Of course, it is difficult to be without my family, but that is a risk that you need to take in life and in football if you want to follow your dreams.
“That was a risk that I had to take when I chose to come here and I feel as though I have grown up as a person because I did it.”