Jeffrey Schlupp of Celtic gets instructions from manager Brendan Rodgers before coming on for his debut Celtic v Dundee at Celtic Park, on 5 February 2025 Photo Stuart Wallace Shutterstock
Q: First of all, can you bring us up date with regards to your Champions League squad and any changes?
Brendan Rodgers: “I thought we were here to talk about Raith Rovers. I’ll tell you on Tuesday. I don’t have it to hand, to be honest. I think we’ve got a few that will come in. I thought it was here in October, to be honest. Yeah, we’ve got some of our young guys that will be involved, and our guys are coming in but there will be no big shocks.”
Brendan Rodgers with the Scottish Cup on 25 May 2024, after Celtic’s 1-0 win over theRangers in the final at Hampden Park. Photo Vagelis Georgariou
Q: You’ve got that game next week, but as you say, it is the Scottish Cup tomorrow, is it easy to keep your focus on that when you’ve got such a big game coming up?
Brendan Rodgers: “It’s very easy. We’re looking forward to the game. We’re very much a modern manager. I say, modern manager in the modern game, you really are genuinely thinking about the next game. You can’t look too far ahead. So yeah, we had a great performance in the midweek, and we want to carry that through. A little bit of recovery, and then we’re at home. We love playing at home. So we want to be able to take our game and our values and ideas and ultimately our hard work because that’s what it boils down to in the end, all into the game. When we do that, we connect the game really well.”
Johnny Kenny of Celtic Celtic v Dundee, Celtic Park, 05 February 2025 Photo Stuart Wallace Shutterstock
Q: Does this kind of game tomorrow night give you a chance to use your squad to rotate it about when you’ve got these big games coming up?
Brendan Rodgers: “Well, I think if you look at all the games I’ve played, I’ve virtually done that in every game. It’s why we think, why we sit in a good place with the squad, very few injuries. Sometimes you might not have wanted to, but you have to because of the health of the group, and so that you can arrive in the latter part of the season with as many personnel available as you can. So I’ll just continue to do what I’ve done throughout the season.”
Celtic supporters at For Park. Motherwell v Celtic, 2nd February 2025. Photo by Vagelis Georgariou
Q: Is it good news regarding the Celtic fans being able to attend the match in Munich?
Brendan Rodgers: “Yeah, it’s great. That was a big worry for me when I spoke a couple of weeks ago, and maybe even only last week. So I was concerned that they wouldn’t be able to travel because there’s such a massive part of this club. The support that we get and the passion that they have for the game as it drives us and helps us. So to have them there, it’s going to be great, and we’ll need them.”
Q: The cautious notice is that this suspended ban is still in effect and there can be no more instances of this, do you agree?
Brendan Rodgers: “Yeah, I think we’re all aware of that. I think it’s still hanging over us. So like I said, I hope that we can give that support, which the majority of the supporters give, which gives us greater strength on the pitch. We can follow the rules and not have any more fines or have anything come against the club.”
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