Brendan Rodgers pinpoints Celtic Champions League narrative people will 'cry' about

Brendan Rodgers is comfortable with Celtic being billed as heavy favourites for tomorrow's Champions League meeting with Slovan Bratislava.

For the past fee years, the Hoops have been handed very tricky groups and been outsiders for virtually every match, with their final points totals and placings reflecting that. But this year they have been handed some favourable ties and start off with one of the most favourable.

While it might be a new feeling to be expected to win a Champions League tie, it is something they are very used to at domestic level. Rodgers insists it is "normal" but also pointed out the Slovakians will still be a dangerous opponent.

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Asked if the favourites tag would change their approach, he said: "Not really. I think it's normal. We come into every game and respect the opponent. Obviously there will be a narrative around this game, which I totally get, but I look at Bratislava and they have had four ties and eight games to get to this stage. So they have put in a massive amount of work and fight to reach this level."

Meanwhile, the Northern Irishman has identified the Hoops narrative people will "cry" about, adding: "You look at the nuts and bolts of it, people will say you only got four points and then they will cry about that, and the season before and the season before.... I look at it that last year was (down to) decisive moments. Apart from the game away in Madrid where we lost a man early on and got punished by a team that got to the quarter-final. I thought in the other games showed up well in.

"We could have won the Lazio game, and should never have lost it. Feyenoord at home we were good and won the game. Away to Feyenoord we were good and right in it, then we concede and lost two men and that's the challenge. For me looking at it I thought if we can strengthen the squad we can take another step closer, and we did that."