When it comes to the Champions League in recent years, it has often been the case of the same old story of woe for Celtic.

The gap in resources to the elite at European level are obvious, and have hampered Celtic’s chances of competing in this tournament, but so too has a naivety in their own approach and in their play that has often led to them being their own worst enemy.

Brendan Rodgers senses though that his maturing team are ready to write a new chapter in Celtic’s storied relationship with this competition.

They face off against BSC Young Boys tomorrow night, knowing that a win will all-but guarantee that the club will be involved in knockout Champions League football for the first time since the 2012/13 season.

And this time, he is desperate for his players to craft their own happy ending.

“It’s a game we’re really excited about,” Rodgers said.

“The Champions League story so far has been, in the main, really good for us, especially at home, so we’re excited about the challenge of the game and looking forward to it.

(Image: Andrew Milligan - PA) “It’s a great position for us to be in. I think that when we started this journey, we wanted to show that we can compete at this level and can we go and make the next steps and get into the play-off stage.

“We’ve been able to get ourselves into a really good position with nine points and our home form at the level has been really good. We have that opportunity now to take a big step to get to the play-off.

"I think they're definitely evolving and that's what you want to be able to see. We've seen that after the Dortmund game because that was a challenging night for us all.

“But how do we respond to that and how can we recover from that? I think you've seen that, maturity and honesty in the team. I think it's something that the players feel and we've seen that ultimately in the performance level.

“We're definitely improving and developing at the very, very highest level of the European game and if we're going to sustain it over a number of years, this has been a really good start for us.

“If we can win tomorrow night it puts us in a fantastic position. I think the perfect story I always hear is to make the supporters and the people proud of your performance level.

“We know the challenges at this level once you get to a certain point, but for me it's for the supporters to dream, but to see the team on the pitch play the football that we like to play and like we've seen in other games here.

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“When we're fast and dynamic and attacking and pressing and everything about our game is about the press to get the ball, to score goals and create goals, and when we do that then that's when we look at a really good side, and then let's see what can take us there.”

No one needs to be reminded of what occasions such as these are like at Celtic Park, with the fans often being the main protagonists for a series of admiring visitors, while the Celtic team were often cast in the supporting role of cannon fodder for the big guns to dispense with.

One of Rodgers’ main aims though when he came back to the club was to evolve not only his team, but remove that element of Celtic Park being something of a tourist attraction, where opposition players would marvel at the atmosphere before leaving with a full complement of points.

The Celtic manager knows the fans will always play their part on such nights, and now he is delighted to see his players doing the same, and aspiring to match their elite level.

"It's very important because I think that's what you value,” he said.

“You know your resources and finances will be nowhere near some teams at this level. However, you still have the ability to compete and play a level of football that makes your club proud. I think we've done that.

“After the Leipzig game, I couldn't be more happier with the team's performance in that game. How we started the game, how we responded to going behind, how we played, how our press and everything on the pressure was there, the creativity, the chances created, the goals, everything I'd want in a team we saw that night against Leipzig.

“And that there goes around. We want this place to be a difficult place to come to. It was for a number of years. It's been a challenging decade for this club because of resources and everything else. But I think we're starting to see that we really can compete and not just compete, but play to a level of football that's synonymous with this club.

“If we can continue to do that, that would of course make us really, really proud.

“I think a night game here in the Champions League gives us a real connection with the past and the great story that this club has with this competition many years ago. It’s what the culture and the history of this club has been set on.

(Image: Andrew Milligan - PA) “A club that won the European Cup at that time, playing the most amazing football through that sequence of games. That's what creates your culture and your history and that's what we live to replicate each and every season we play.

“So, I think our feeling going into this game is to have that synergy because it's so important.

“It's what the founding values of this club has been about, connection, people together.

“So, if we get that tomorrow night - we've seen already this season and it's the most amazing place to be in - and that's what we want to have.”