Celtic are preparing for their Champions League clash against last season’s Europa League champions, Atalanta, as they look to bounce back from a mixed European campaign so far.
After an impressive home victory over Slovan Bratislava, Brendan Rodgers’ side was dealt a harsh blow with a heavy defeat to Borussia Dortmund in Germany.
As the team readies for their trip to Bergamo, Rodgers has stressed the importance of belief, learning from setbacks, and focusing on long-term progress in Europe. The Dortmund defeat was a tough lesson, but for Rodgers, it’s about steady growth and ensuring the team evolves with each experience.
Speaking ahead of the Atalanta match, Rodgers highlighted the need for tactical discipline, unity, and self-belief, key qualities he believes will help Celtic compete against Europe’s elite. Reflecting on the heavy loss to Dortmund, the manager urged his players to channel that disappointment into motivation and maintain confidence in their abilities.
He said [Celtic TV]: “As a football player you don’t want to be sat in the dressing room feeling that again, that’s something that the players know themselves.
“This is a level about belief. These are belief games. You have to go into these and really believe you can get the result.
“It might not always go your way, but you certainly have to go in with that belief.
“I just think in the Dortmund game those things went against us very early on in the game. Then their quality and their confidence takes over, and you end up on the back of a really heavy scoreline – and that’s on me.
“But, we hope to learn from that, and that’s the case. This is the long game here in Europe in terms of what we are trying to achieve, not just this season, but going forward.
“One of the reasons I came back was to show that we can make that progress.
“And that isn’t something that happens in one game or two games, but certainly the players will go into tomorrow not wanting to have that feeling that we experienced.
“But this is a team where the spirit and togetherness is so strong, and for us it’s about that tactical discipline, having that togetherness, and having that belief in your quality.
“If you have that, then you’ll always be in with an opportunity to get a result.”
Celtic will face Atalanta with no Cameron Carter-Vickers of Greg Taylor, with Brendan Rodgers confirmed that he defensive pair are injured.
It will see Alex Valle and Auston Trusty likely join Liam Scales and Alistair Johnston in the backline on Wednesday night.
Celtic will look to right the wrongs from last time out, but Atalanta will be no easy opponent.
