Brendan Rodgers isn’t reading too much into Rangers’ 120-minute slog against Fenerbahce on Thursday night, insisting that Celtic will focus on their own game rather than worrying about their opponent’s fitness levels.
Rangers threw away a two-goal lead, were taken to extra time, and eventually won on penalties to secure their place in the Europa Conference League quarter-finals. Some may see that as an advantage for Celtic heading into Sunday’s derby, but Rodgers isn’t convinced.
When asked if Rangers’ extra workload could affect their performance at Celtic Park, Rodgers played it down, saying: [Celtic TV]
“Not really. I think from our perspective, it’s about looking to play our game. Our game’s a running game, it’s a pressing game, it’s an intense game. So that’s what we want to play from the very first whistle.
“I don’t know the Rangers squad, I don’t know the mentalities, but I know that obviously they got through their tie and they’ll come to us. As I said, it’s always a mental thing.”
Rodgers also pointed to his own experience of managing a Leicester side that played peak Manchester City and peak Liverpool within 48 hours—and still managed to beat Jürgen Klopp’s side 1-0 despite having far less recovery time.
“I had a recent experience with my team at Leicester, where we played Manchester City on the 26th of December away. Peak Man City. And then on the 28th, virtually two days later, we played peak Liverpool. So it was as tough as you get.
“And the second game, whenever Liverpool had more rest coming into the game than ourselves, we had virtually no rest going into the game. We won the game 1-0.
“So physically, of course, it’s exhausting and it’s tiring. But you come into Celtic Rangers game, it’s about your mentality as well.”
For Rodgers, the key to Sunday’s showdown will be mentality, not how many minutes Rangers played on Thursday. Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic faced a Rangers side who had played 120 minutes in the same week, and it was a 115th-minute goal from Rangers at Hampden to knock Celtic out of the Scottish Cup.
If Celtic play to their best on Sunday, there’s no reason why they can’t leave with a convincing win over their rivals.
