ULTIMATE TEST
Barca attack the best ever, says Rodgers
BRENDAN RODGERS believes Celtic will tonight come up against a Barcelona forward line he rates as the greatest of all time.
The Parkhead side open their Champions League Group C campaign at the Nou Camp with the daunting task of quelling the trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez.
Barca’s Three Amigos have claimed a staggering 260 goals between them over the last two seasons at the club.
Suarez alone has claimed an incredible 88 goals and 43 assists in his first 100 games for the Catalan giants.
While admitting no one will give his side a prayer against the Spanish champions, Rodgers insists his Parkhead side have not travelled to Catalonia just to make up the numbers.
‘As a manager, in every game you have to believe you can get a positive result,’ he said last night.
‘We respect that this is arguably the best
team in the world, with a front three who are maybe one of the best of all time. When Luis Suarez played for me, he occupied four defenders on his own. ‘Then you add Neymar to that and then possibly the best player ever, then it’s a big game for us. ‘But what I’ve seen from my team so far is a hunger and desire to do their best in every training session and match. We have to come up with a plan which can get us a positive result.’ Suarez and Messi were late substitutes in a shadow Barca side’s shock 2-1 defeat to newly promoted Alaves on Saturday night. Rodgers expects Luis Enrique’s team to be back to their formidable best and was again fulsome in his praise of Suarez, who came so close to carrying his Liverpool team to the Barclays Premier League title. Asked if he has any idea on how to stop the South American, Rodgers could only shrug. ‘Does it help to know him so well? It does and it doesn’t,’ he admitted. ‘I know his tricks, I know his moves but you can’t play the game for the player when he is on there. ‘But you can give as much insight as you possibly can and then hope you get a bit of luck along the way. ‘I’m not a coach who stands for an hour glorifying a team then your players walk out thinking: “Christ almighty”. ‘I’m a coach who focuses on us and what we do.’ Celtic captain Scott Brown is poised to win his fitness battle and start after he was removed from the fray in the 5-1 Premiership win over Rangers on Saturday. Striker Leigh Griffiths is out, with hat-trick hero Moussa Dembele poised to lead the line in a 4-5-1 formation.