Take it to the Greeks
Rodgers says Hoops can go to Athens and get result they need
BRENDAN RODGERS last night insisted Celtic’s Champions League dreams are still alive.
And the Parkhead manager is adamant his team can be awesome in Athens to save the day and stay in line for a third straight progression to the group stage of Europe’s elite competition.
Rodgers remained confident and defiant despite his side’s qualification aspirations being left hanging by a thread.
The Hoops face a huge task in Greece after being held to a draw that handed the initiative in the tie to AEK.
Callum McGregor’s outstanding early strike was cancelled out by the loss of a crucial away goal but Rodgers claimed he saw enough
to believe his troops can recover the situation in Tuesday’s return leg.
The boss is convinced his team will score and said: “I don’t think there’s any question about that.
“We will have enough of the ball to think that we have the players of quality who can score.
“Of course we are going to have to defend well too. It was always going to be a difficult game whether we were 1-0 up or at 1-1.
“I always felt we would have to go over there and score anyway so it is very much still in the balance.
“Overall we are still in a really good position.
“It was always going to be difficult game for us over there but after seeing our performance it gives us great hope of going out there to get a result.
“It swings a bit to them because they’re at home but we certainly know we have the quality to go and perform.
“Everyone was thinking the same thing at this stage last year, going out to Rosenborg and wondering if we could get a result knowing that it was going to be tough out there.
“But we went there and produced a really good performance and won the game. I don’t see any reason why we can’t do that again.
“We respect that they are a good side but we also showed that we can play well, dominate the game and create chances. “Prior to the game we knew they were a good side but we proved we are a good side and we can go over there and get a result. “We’ll need to put in a big performance, of course, but I have great confidence in the players to do that.” Celtic were frustrated as, having controlled the contest and grabbed an advantage, they were pegged back. A sending-off for AEK ace Konstantinos Galanopoulos left the Greeks a man short for the last half an hour but, despite not playing a competitive game before last night, they hung on for a draw.
But Rodgers, who also lost defender Kristoffer Ajer for the return leg through suspension, said: “That’s how AEK play. They’ll play like that out there as well.
“They play deep, 4-4-2, compact. The sending off didn’t really change that side of it. We continued to dominate the ball and get into really good areas.
“We had opportunities but we weren’t clinical enough to take them.
“Apart from that one error we made just before half time, when we were sat here at 1-0, I would be talking about a fantastic performance.
“I’m still very proud of how we played.
“I thought we started the game so well in every element, our shape, offensively when we had the ball, and our defending and pressing was at a really high level.
“We were in good control of the game and Athens were probably waiting and waiting to get to half-time and regroup but we conceded in the 44th minute.
“We were against a good side that can defend well and are strong. We threw everything at their end, attacking players.
“It’s just that final pass and that bit of luck. We would have liked to have got the second goal but it didn’t come for us.”