Simon Donnelly reckons Brendan Rodgers is ready to steer Celtic onto the next level in Europe – driven by their Italian job against Atalanta.
The former Hoops striker is relishing Tuesday’s clash with RB Leipzig at Parkhead where another positive result will keep Celtic on track for a knockout round play-off spot. Rodgers and his players hit a major Champions League match day two bump in the road in Dortmund when the Germans dished out a 7-1 thrashing that had critics lining up to rubbish their ability to match the big guns. But those accusations were answered with a resilient display in Italy to shut out Serie A high fliers Atalanta and earn a precious point that sees the Hoops sit 20th in the table with four points from their opening three games.
Donnelly reckons the belief gained from that performance in Bergamo can be the turning point in the Euro campaign for Rodgers and his players. Tuesday night’s visit of the side sitting second in the Bundesliga marks the halfway stage in the league phase campaign. After that comes a home clash with Club Brugge, a trip to Dinamo Zagreb, Young Boys at Parkhead and finally a Battle of Britain in Birmingham with Aston Villa.
And asked if he believes Celtic have enough to reach the next stage, Donnelly said: “I hope so. There were signs of it in the Atalanta game. Now they have a huge game against Leipzig which will be another real test. They bounced back from the disappointment of the Dortmund game strongly.
“They did really well in that Atalanta game. A lot of people wrote them off. They showed they can dig in away from home against a strong European outfit and come back with a result. I think that’s turned their campaign around. Now they have to kick on and try to get a result against Leipzig who have started their Bundesliga season well.”
Rodgers opted to start with Adam Idah against Atalanta to give his side an outball up front. But back on their own patch where they will be expected to take the game to Leipzig, Donnelly reckons Rodgers has to go with Kyogo Furuhashi.
He said: “Yes, Kyogo is the top striker. He is so sharp around the box. He’s always there. He has scored in big games, he is a big time player. Brendan Rodgers has used Adam Idah at different times like against Atalanta. It’s horses for courses.
“And if I was Idah then I’d be delighted the manager had shown faith in me to start against Atalanta. So they both will hopefully be ready for it.”
Meanwhile Donnelly insists there’s no chance Celtic will allow Rangers’ troubles to blow apart their own quest for glory. The Hoops are nine points clear at the top of the table and looking to put one foot in the Champions League play-off stages tonight.
And Donnelly, who spent six years at Parkhead in the 1990s, said there’s no chance Rodgers or his players will take their eye off the ball. He said: “There will never be any chance of that. Celtic will just focus on themselves. What happens outwith is immaterial, they have to focus on their own game. They’ve done that recently.
“The games are coming thick and fast at home and in the Champions League. Celtic won’t let up. They can’t take that chance of not focusing on each game. And I think the players will be welcoming the new challenge of Aberdeen in the league. Celtic always go out to win every game and I don’t think whether it’s Brendan or whoever is at the helm that they do that any differently.”