Celtic are set for another tough European trip to Central Asia as they get ready to face Kairat Almaty in the Champions League playoff round.

The Hoops have been down this road before, having played Shakhter Karagandy and Astana in past qualifiers, and they’ll know these matches are never easy.

Kairat head into the tie on a high after beating Slovan Bratislava on penalties. That result has given their season a lift and taken some pressure off manager Rafael Urazbakhtin. He was under the spotlight going into that game, but public support from chairman Kairat Boranbayev and a big win have changed the mood at the club.

Urazbakhtin now believes his team can cause an upset. He says his players are hungry and ready to “make some noise in Europe”. Backed by their fans and boosted by their dramatic win, Kairat will hope to catch Celtic off guard in what’s likely to be a tough away atmosphere.

For Celtic, the job is straightforward on paper. They must deal with the travel, stay calm under pressure and let their quality show over two legs. But these games are about focus as much as talent, and they’ll need to be switched on from start to finish to avoid problems.

He said: (RecordSport), “I told the players they must remember this happy moment. We are making history.

“I urged them to keep their hunger and preserve it for the next round.

“We now have a great chance of making some noise in Europe.”

Urazbakhtin’s words will sound familiar to Celtic. They’ve heard this kind of talk before in this part of the world, with belief, togetherness and the chance to do something special. It’s exactly the sort of approach Celtic will expect and need to shut down early. They know how these ties are built up and what’s on the line.

Celtic’s job is to take control of the game, limit mistakes and set the pace from the start. That is not always easy in a high-pressure away tie in Europe. Keeping the home crowd quiet, keeping the ball, and avoiding being dragged into a scrap too early could be the difference over the two legs.

Their past visits to Kazakhstan will help. Celtic had to dig themselves out of a hole against Karagandy and learned from that. Astana didn’t cause an upset, but the away leg showed how tough these games can get if the other team senses a chance.

Rodgers and his players won’t take Kairat lightly. But if they bring the right mindset and handle the tie with the care and quality it needs, they will trust themselves to come through it no matter where they’re playing.