GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - MAY 18: Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers during a cinch Premiership match between Celtic and St Mirren at Celtic Park, on May 18, 2024, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ross Parker/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Celtic begin their new Champions League adventure tomorrow night against Slovakian champions, Slovan Bratislava at Celtic Park tomorrow night.
Brendan Rodgers has the opportunity to pick up the first three points of the competition in front of a packed home crowd as Celtic look to end an opening day winless run in the competition that has run since 2001.
But more importantly, Rodgers has been vocal in his aim to improve Celtic’s fortunes in the Champions League and after his efforts in the transfer window the team looks equipped to do just that.
However, it’s not the players that Rodgers has at his disposal that give him a big advantage in the elite competition this season according to Chris Sutton.
Celtic’s home ties ‘enormous’ for Champions League progression
With eight fixtures to play, Sutton believes that the home draw UEFA gave Celtic has given them a ‘real opportunity’ to make it out of the league phase.
Sutton told the Monday Night Club, “Am I right in saying, is that all you lot, the statisticians, eight points is supposed to be that will take you through to the playoff, something like that anyway? I read that somewhere.
“But anyway, if you look at Celtic’s draw, you think blimey, there’s a real opportunity for them to pick up a fair few points, Bratislava at home, Brugges at home, Young Boys at home.
“I think the draw could have been tougher, and I think they’re going to be under real scrutiny.
But I think the expectation is that they should beat Bratislava, but you can imagine if they end up losing or drawing the game at being really, really flat.
“So the game on Wednesday night is absolutely enormous for Celtic.
“The game, I don’t want to describe the game as a gimme. But if you were to hand-pick a team to play for Celtic in the first game, it would be Bratislava at home. So that is so enormous.”
Celtic must take advantage of home draw
Celtic used to have a fearsome reputation in Europe whenever they played at home. The number of scalps the club took from some of the biggest teams on the continent was scary.
Unfortunately, that reputation has taken a bit of a hammering over recent seasons and that is something that Rodgers now has the opportunity to put right.
Home games against Bratislava, Dinamo Zagreb, Club Brugge and even RB Leipzig should all be viewed as winable games.
And with the form the team are showing right now, the Celtic fans will be confident, starting with a home win tomorrow, that progression in the tournament for the first time since 2013 is very possible.
