Brendan Rodgers has urged Celtic to utilise the power of Parkhead and create another magical Champions League night.
The manager and his troops face Club Brugge aiming for a vital success in their push for the play-offs. Victory would be a fourth-successive home triumph in the competition having backed up last term’s win over Feyenoord with back-to-back successes over Slovan Bratislava and RB Leipzig.
The stadium rocked in the defeat of the Germans and Rodgers says that the powerful connection between fan and team can boost against the Belgians. Rodgers said: “Yeah, absolutely. I think it’s for us, again, another opportunity to show the power of Celtic Park. I’ve got absolutely no doubt that every team and their supporters will feel that their football ground is special and really special to be there, to play there and I respect that. But I know this club and I know the fans and I know the stadium, so I know how special it really is to play here and how difficult it can be.
“But what you have to be able to do is match that with the performance and that’s something that has really pleased me in these recent home games in the Champions League.
“So it’s not just a ticked box for players to come here and clubs to come and say they’ve played at Celtic Park, but it’s to come and realise you’re going to be in for a game here and that combination of the support base and the team making it a really difficult night. There’s no doubt, I think. It’s probably more you see when you listen to other players. But also I listen to my own players. It’s the feeling that it brings here and we don’t take it for granted.
“It’s one that I hoped when I came back here, it was to connect it, which was to have that off the field, that fire and that passion and emotion. And bring that onto the field as well with performance level and a level of football that excites.
“So that was the challenge and you can see when that is all connected, what it brings. Like the Red Bull Leipzig, the feeling that it gives, not just for that night, but the supporters the next day and for days after. The feeling of watching the team compete at European level and play at a level of football. So that’s what we want to bring and it definitely does.
“You spoke to some of the players afterwards, experienced players, the impact that the stadium brings. So we have to use that, we have to connect with that spirit and continue to make it really difficult.”