Wendt wants to add the finishing touch to Celtic hopes
BORUSSIA Monchengladbach are determined to kill off Brendan Rodgers’ hopes of keeping Celtic in Europe beyond Christmas, warns defender Oscar Wendt.
The Germans entered the clubs’ Champions League double header at a one-point disadvantage to the Scottish champions but turned the tables with a convincing 2-0 victory in Glasgow.
Another win at their Borussia-Park stadium on Tuesday would open up a five-point gap on Celtic and effectively thwart boss Rodgers’ stated goal of keeping the club’s continental interest alive into 2017.
Swedish full-back Wendt, who was outstanding at Celtic Park, sees no reason why Borussia cannot finish off Celtic on Tuesday.
‘If we play at our best I think we can do that,’ he said. ‘We know how good we are when we play in our own stadium.
‘We think we can beat every team when we play at home so, hopefully, we can continue what we started in Glasgow.
‘Last week’s game was crucial because if we had lost it would have been pretty much over for us. Now we have three points and two home games to come, so it looks better for us.’
Wendt actually had prior experience of Celtic Park, having sat on the bench for FC Copenhagen 10 years ago as a Kenny Miller
goal helped Gordon Strachan’s side secure a victory that went a long way towards securing the club’s place in the competition’s knockout stages for the first time.
The defender, 30, had stressed to his teammates the importance of quietening the crowd, especially in the wake of the rousing atmosphere that helped Celtic claim a 3-3 draw against Manchester City on match-night two.
Now he has challenged Celtic to see if they can handle a similarly charged atmosphere in Monchengladbach.
‘I told the boys before the game that it is something special at Celtic Park,’ he admitted. ‘You have to take the atmosphere the right way, use it as motivation. I think everyone was a bit moved at the start but as the game progressed we played well and crashed their party a little bit. That is what we wanted to do.
‘Celtic’s stadium is fantastic but our home is not so bad, either. I think that is a factor because in our stadium, and in the Bundesliga in general, the fans are pretty good.’
Monchengladbach are expected to welcome back four key players for Tuesday’s encounter, with Brazilian forward Raffael and Thorgan Hazard — brother of Chelsea star Eden — joining defender Andreas Christensen and winger Ibrahima Traore in the squad.
Wendt admitted that will only be a bonus as the Germans seek to do the double on Celtic.
‘We were missing four at least in the last game so you would expect a couple of them to be back this week,’ he added. ‘We know that when we play at our best we are a strong side.
‘We can keep the ball, we can counter-attack and we can defend. We have showed that before, we just have to be a little bit more consistent.
‘We really limited Celtic’s opportunities in Glasgow. Did they have any good chances? I don’t think so. I think we fully deserved our victory.’