Brendan Rodgers says Celtic will “play for the dreams of the supporters” when they take on Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
Celtic, who have not won on German soil in 14 previous attempts, head to Signal Iduna Park in fine form after a 6-0 victory over St Johnstone on Saturday made it 17 wins in a row.
They have netted 33 goals in nine matches this season, including five against Slovan Bratislava in their Champions League opener.
They now go from facing debutants at this level to last season’s runners-up, but Rodgers just wants his players to do themselves justice and leave everything out on the pitch.
“It’s looking to bring our game to the next level. The way we have been performing over the last six or seven months has just been increasing and now we come to this level,” Rodgers said at his pre-match news conference.
“We play for the dreams of the supporters, the supporters that have travelled out here in their thousands, and we play for ourselves to go and enjoy this experience.
“It’s a wonderful arena [and the message is to] go and embrace it, go and cherish these big games and let’s see where it takes us.
“After the game, if we’ve done that, and we’ve given everything and we play with the spirit that we have done and you don’t quite get the result – then as long as you have ran and you have fought and you have played and pressed and you have attacked, you can do no more than that.
“The game is about layers and tiers and levels and, for us, I’m just interested in seeing us competing at this level.
“I’ve always said – whether it’s domestically or whether it is away in this competition – it’s making us a really, really difficult team to play against with and without the ball.
“That’s what we want to be able to do. I’m not looking for perfection, I’m just looking for us to be really, really difficult to play against and to give everything we have, and bring our game.”
Carter-Vickers misses trip to Dortmund
Cameron Carter-Vickers will miss the Champions League clash against Borussia Dortmund.
The centre-back sat out Celtic’s last two matches with a toe injury that has been troubling him in recent weeks and has not made the squad for Germany.
Fellow United States international Auston Trusty has played in those games against Falkirk and St Johnstone and looks set to be handed his first Champions League start in Signal Iduna Park.
Rodgers said: “Cam is not available. We’ll see what he’s like going into next weekend, but he’s not here for this one.
“Clearly he’s a top-class player for us and he’s missed a little bit of Champions League football I think in his time, five of the 12 games the club has played he has unfortunately not been able to play in.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers said last week he will have to manage Cameron Carter-Vickers’ toe injury
“But we have other players. It’s always an opportunity for somebody else to come in and hopefully we can get Cam back sooner rather than later.
“But we can’t over-think it. We will rely on the collective. There’s not one player that brings our results and how we have been this season. Of course he’s a very important player, Cam, but for us to get a result it will be about the collective.”
Sahin: I’m a big, big fan of Kyogo
Dortmund manager Nuri Sahin declared himself a huge fan of Celtic forward Kyogo Furuhashi ahead of their Champions League meeting.
The 29-year-old has scored four goals in his last four matches ahead of Tuesday’s encounter, including one in Celtic’s 5-1 win over Slovan Bratislava on matchday one.
When asked about Celtic’s main threats, Sahin said: “If you really want a name, I’m a big, big fan of your striker.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Sky Sports’ Kris Boyd said last month Kyogo Furuhashi could ‘do a job’ for Manchester City
“Furuhashi is not a typical striker like we are used to, a big one. But he is very smart and I really like how he moves off the ball, the timing of his runs. I see a very smart guy there tactically.”
Furuhashi netted twice in a 6-0 win over St Johnstone on Saturday and Sahin is definitely not underestimating the threat posed by his visitors from Glasgow.
Borussia Dortmund boss Nuri Sahin
When asked if Celtic were underdogs who could spring a surprise, the 36-year-old said: “You’re talking about a team who haven’t lost for many games and haven’t even lost a goal in their league. They were very dominant in their first match in the Champions League.
“What can you say about Celtic? They are a very prestigious club with amazing talent in their squad and a fantastic coach.
Celtic’s Daizen Maeda in action vs SK Slovan Bratislava
“It will be a challenge for us, but at the same time a big challenge, a huge challenge, which they didn’t have this season, playing in our stadium. I’m really looking forward to it.
“I don’t think it’s fair to call them underdogs to be honest.”