Celtic look to secure a landmark trophy

Match is an opportunity for manager Rodgers to secure his place in the club’s history books

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers cannot afford to linger long on his side’s European elimination as they prepare to take on Aberdeen in the Scottish League Cup final today.

The match at Hampden Park is an opportunity for Rodgers to secure his place in the club’s history books days after he watched as the Hoops were powerless to stop a Lionel Messi-inspired Barcelona secure a 2-0 win at Celtic Park on Wednesday.

They were already certain to bow out of the Champions League in the group stage but that result ended the Glasgow giants’ hopes of even making it into the Europa League, condemning them to bottom spot in Group C.

That was a blow for the ambitious former Liverpool manager who has made a massive impact since his arrival in the summer. But now Rodgers, who has seen Celtic go 10 points clear of Aberdeen at the top of the Scottish Premiership after just 12 games, has the chance to win a first piece of silverware with the club.

If Celtic do win, it would be a historic 100th trophy for them — and they hope it will be the first leg of a treble, with the league title looking inevitable and the Scottish Cup to come.

Despite their huge success in Scotland, Celtic have only won the treble on three occasions in their history with the last coming in the 2000/01 season under Rodgers’ fellow Northern Irishman Martin O’Neill.

Emilio Izaguirre, who has been at Parkhead for the past six years, is one of the more experienced players in the Celtic dressing room and he insisted their European exit wouldn’t have a negative impact on the players.

“Barcelona are the best team in the world. It’s as simple as that. We tried our best, but it was so difficult to play against them,” the Honduran international said.