Brendan Rodgers says what every Celtic fan thinks as Champions League playoff fate confirmed

Brendan Rodgers says what every Celtic fan thinks as Champions League playoff fate confirmed

The Parkhead boss reacted to the Hoops landing a trip to Kazakhstan to face Kairat Almaty

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers

Brendan Rodgers admits Celtic's gruelling 13-hour trek to Kazakhstan is far from ideal.

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The Hoops have been paired with Kairat Almaty for a place in the Champions League group stages.

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Celts host the Kazakh cracks at Parkhead next Wednesday before an exhausting 9,000-mile round-trip to Almaty the following Tuesday - five days before the first derby of the season at Ibrox.

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And Rodgers confessed he'd have preferred a short hop to Slovakia to play old foes Slovan Bratislava, who lost out to Kairat on penalties.

He told Celtic TV: “Of course, everyone would have preferred a shorter travelling distance, but they got through, they won the tie, so we’ll play the first game of our two legs and our objective is to get through.

“We can really analyse them now and be prepared for the first leg next week."

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Celtic last faced Kazakhstan Premier League opposition when they survived a nervy fightback against Astana in 2017.

The Hoops almost blew a 5-0 home lead by falling 4-1 behind in the Kazakh capital before two late goals settled the nerves.

The Scottish champions eventually progressed 8-4 on aggregate but Rodgers recalled it was far from straightforward.

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He said: "No, it wasn't. It should never have been the case, but it's how football works.

"Yeah, 5-0 in the first leg, we were very good. At half-time in the second leg, I think it was 6-1, it was one each at half-time.

"So you're in a really good place and then before you know it, you've conceded three quick goals and then the tie's at 6-4.

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"So we'll do everything we can to make sure we get into the group stages."

Skipper Callum McGregor played that night and experience tells him it's crucial Celtic make home advantage count next week.

Celtic Captain Callum McGregor

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He said: “It’s going to be a tough tie. Obviously the travel and everything else comes into that and the preparation.

“We’ve got the home game first, and we want to try and maximise that, as we would against any opponent.

"But it could be even more important now that we try and do the absolute maximum to get a good result at home, and then negotiate the travel.

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“It’s a tough team and we know it will be a tough tie. It’s a good tie for us but one that we’ll have to be at our best to get through. "The travel and everything else that presents, it will be a tough tie, no doubt about it.

"So we'll have to go there. Hopefully, we have a lead from the first game, but we have to look after that first and foremost and then over the two legs, can we do enough to get through?"

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