THE REAL DEAL
Rodgers sees Kilmarnock as title challengers
BRENDAN RODGERS says Kilmarnock have earned the right to be viewed as genuine title contenders as he prepares to welcome the surprise Premiership leaders to Celtic Park today.
The Parkhead manager also insisted that Leicester City’s shock 2016 Premier League triumph has proved that the seemingly impossible can happen in football.
Killie major shareholder Billy Bowie yesterday cited the Foxes’ remarkable title-winning campaign, telling Sportsmail he believes Steve Clarke’s side can follow in their footsteps.
And Rodgers, who is yet to beat Clarke in their four domestic meetings, admits he has been impressed by the table-topping Ayrshire
side. ‘Leicester showed, at odds of 5,000-1, that it can be done,’ he said. ‘What Leicester did was make the impossible possible. ‘Have Kilmarnock earned the right to be viewed as genuine title contenders? Well, why not! ‘I think that’s what they will think themselves if they can continue with that kind of consistency. ‘I think when there are ten games to go (in a league season), you look closer at it because then there’s a different pressure. ‘Everything else that comes into play is totally different and new if you have not been in that situation before. ‘But you can’t argue with what Kilmarnock have done over a sustained period, which has been absolutely brilliant. ‘They deserve all the credit they get and the biggest credit you can give them is that it’s not been by accident. It has been a consistent run over the last year or so.’ Celtic are still without defender Dedryck Boyata, who has a hamstring injury, as the champions aim to bounce back from a disappointing 1-1 draw at Motherwell in midweek. But Rodgers welcomes back Mikael Lustig who has recovered from a slight knock, while captain Scott Brown had no reaction to his first start since a month out with a knee injury. Striker Leigh Griffiths was missing from training yesterday but is expected to be available today, Rodgers saying: ‘He (Griffiths) had an issue but he will be okay.’ Injured defender Kristoffer Ajer starts back training with the squad next week but Rodgers says the Norwegian will not make next Thursday’s Europa League crunch match against Red Bull Salzburg. ‘That game will be too soon for Kris,’ said Rodgers, who has been linked with a move for Groningen’s Samir Memisevic but yesterday insisted he had never heard of the Bosnian defender. ‘Kris will train and then, hopefully, he will be ready to come back in the next few weeks.’