Brendan Rodgers has urged his Celtic squad to elevate their performance as they prepare to face Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. The match, scheduled for Tuesday evening, represents a significant challenge for the Scottish champions, who are currently enjoying a remarkable streak of nine consecutive wins across all competitions.
Unfortunately, Celtic will enter the formidable Signal Iduna Park, which has an 80,000-seat capacity, without key defender Cameron Carter-Vickers, who is sidelined due to a toe injury. This absence comes as Celtic seeks to break a decade-long winless streak in Europe’s premier club tournament. Having recently claimed victories against Slovan Bratislava and Feyenoord, Rodgers is keen for his players to demonstrate their readiness to compete with top-tier teams.
Rodgers stated, “Our goal is to raise our game to a new level.” He emphasized that the team’s recent performances have been steadily improving, particularly over the last six to seven months. Acknowledging the caliber of their opponents, he reminded his players of the importance of being resilient and challenging to play against, whether they are in possession of the ball or defending.
“This encounter is just the second of our eight Champions League matches,” Rodgers noted. He remains calm yet focused on achieving a positive result that can build on their previous performance. He highlighted the importance of teamwork and expressed confidence in his squad’s potential, even in Carter-Vickers’ absence.
As they prepare for this high-stakes matchup, Celtic will look to players like record signing Arne Engels to step up. Carter-Vickers’ injury is particularly unfortunate, given his critical role last season, where he also faced challenges with fitness. New signing Auston Trusty filled in admirably during their recent 6-0 victory over St Johnstone and will take on the responsibility while Carter-Vickers recuperates.
Rodgers stressed that while Carter-Vickers is an essential player, the team’s success depends on collective effort rather than the performance of a single individual. “At this level, mental strength is as vital as skill,” he said. If Celtic can harness their domestic quality and translate it to the European arena, they could prove to be a tough opponent for Dortmund.