Manager: Wednesday night was outstanding and now we want to get to Hampden

After Celtic's blistering performance in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night, this Sunday sees a return to domestic action for Brendan Rodgers’ side.

The Hoops swept Slovan Bratislava aside with a brilliant 5-1 win midweek, and next up for the Bhoys is the visit of Falkirk to Celtic Park in the quarter-final of the League Cup.

Speaking to the media ahead of Sunday’s match, Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers said that he is beginning to see everything he wants in his team as he reflected on Wednesday night’s Champions League opener.

“It was an outstanding performance,” the Celtic manager said. “The team were full of desire and energy, and the energy in the stadium was absolutely incredible.

“That combination is a real force and we seen that in the game. It was everything I’d want from my team.

“Our job here at Celtic is to honour and protect the great history of this club and the winning mentality.

“But for the modern team, we want to make our own history. We’re in a good place but there’s a long way for us to go.

“We’ve performed really well since the start of the season and the intent in our game domestically has been really good.

“But to take that in to the Champions League and to do it at that level is really good. It felt like a great occasion.”

Last season saw the Celts win an historic double of the league and the Scottish Cup. However, for Brendan Rodgers and his team, this season provides an opportunity to go one better and clinch all three domestic honours.

The winner of this Sunday’s match will book their place at Hampden for the semi-final of the League Cup, and for the Celtic boss, it’s a trophy that holds a special place in his heart.

“The competition is very important to me,” he said. “It was the first one that I won as Celtic manager, so it means everything to me, so we’ll be going all out on Sunday to get to the semi-final.

“We have to win three games to win the competition. I always think it’s about getting to Hampden and then we assess it from there.

“Hampden is a place I’ve always loved with the size of the pitch and the support that we take there.

“We have a really important job at the weekend that we have to get done and our objective is to fight for every domestic trophy.”

At the helm in the away dugout on Sunday will be former Celtic coach, John McGlynn, whose Falkirk side are on an impressive 43-game unbeaten league run which has extended from last season.

Looking ahead to the prospect of coming up against his former colleague, Brendan Rodgers was full of praise for the Falkirk manager as he reflected on their relationship throughout the years.

He said: “I have a lot of time for John. We’ve exchanged messages and I’m really looking forward to seeing him. I’m really proud of him and what he’s done in his career. He’s done brilliantly and he’s a really good guy.

“When I first came in here, we brought in a structure, a way of working and a mentality that he was a part of.

“John always went the extra mile for me. He knew there was a big demand and he was a real team player.

“What he’s produced in the two jobs he’s had since he left here has been brilliant. The style of football and the way he looks to play have been very impressive.”

THE MANAGER’S FULL PRESS CONFERENCE

• Reflections on Wednesday's UCL opener

• The winning mentality of the team

• Build up to Sunday's match against Falkirk

• Relationship with John McGlynn

• Unbeaten runs

• Domestic ambitions

• Daizen Maeda's workrate

• Importance of squad depth

• Squad update

MATCH CENTRE

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