power of Celtic Park
ter City are capable of providing just as much difficulty to Rodgers’ players as Barcelona did. He has urged a less passive approach than witnessed in the Nou Camp, but accepts a whole stack of cards will need to fall in Celtic’s favour if they are to record a famous victory.
“Our game is based about aggression, the intensity with which we play,” he said. “We know City are one of the leading teams in Europe but somehow you have to try to find a way.
“City have world-class players in Sergio Aguero and David Silva. World-class players are hard to tie down, because they will always find space. What you have to try to do is negate that space as much as possible and try to negate their influence on the game. It’s a big, big task for us but Kevin de Bruyne being out maybe helps us.
“There are many factors within it. You have to be aggressive in your pressing, you have to be educated in your pressure because you are not collectively pressing together.
“You can get picked off, so it’s about pressing at the right time. It’s about being compact at the right times. It’s about taking your chances when they come. It’s about a bit of luck along the way as well. You are always hoping your goalkeeper can have a good night in big games. So there are many factors in getting a good result.
“Since I came here I think the team has always shown a level of intensity and aggression in their game. In every game and team you have to be educated in your pressure. It’s not about running, you have to be clever in terms of when you press. To compete at this level, I know what we have to do to be better. These types of games give us a chance to do that.”