Having once guided Celtic to two memorable victories over Lazio in the Europa League, Neil Lennon has given what he believes are some valuable insights on overcoming the Italian giants.

Despite Lazio’s poor domestic form, with just two wins in the league, which has seen the Italian manager Maurizio Sarri express his rage openly, Lennon urges Celtic not to get complacent.

The narrow victory against Motherwell and Lazio’s fruitless trip to Milan might give a contrasting domestic picture, but Lennon firmly believes that such fluctuations have minimal impact in a competition as elite as the Champions League.

While Lazio’s record shows just two victories from their recent five matches, Celtic boasts of four consecutive wins. Yet, a day-one loss to Feyenoord means Rodgers’ team needs a win against Lazio to increase their chances of playing European football after Christmas.

Drawing from his triumphant experience at the Stadio Olimpico in 2019, when Olivier Ntcham’s last-minute goal sealed a win for Celtic, and another such event at Celtic Park when Jullien scored the winner, Lennon shared a four-point game plan for Rodgers, if he’s looking for tips.

He said: [BBC Scottish Football Podcast] “Manage the game. Get a foothold early, to have a belief that you can, score. This Celtic team have got goals in them, there’s a lot of belief there. I don’t think Lazio are in great from domestically but you still have to respect them, they’ve got a very experienced coach and still some players from that era of 2019.

“Game management is pivotal particularly at this level and a lot of emphasis on believing that Joe Hart will have a really good game. That will give them confidence going in to the tie.”