Manager: We know we can and will play better

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Celtic F.C.

·20 août 2025

Manager: We know we can and will play better

It was a night of frustration for Celtic as they drew 0-0 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League play-off tie against FC Kairat.

The Hoops now face a long and tricky trip to Kazakhstan for the second leg next week, but Brendan Rodgers still believes his side has what it takes to progress to the league phase of the competition.

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Speaking after tonight’s game, the Celtic manager said: “We wanted better. It didn’t quite go for us, how we would have planned, but we’re still very much in the tie.

“We defended okay, but I was disappointed with the first-half. We started the game with the belief and the intensity that we would want and we looked like we were waiting on the game too much and weren’t moving as a team, weren’t intense enough – so all the things that we wanted to be.

“The second half was much better but we just lacked that little bit in the final third of the pitch.

“But I’ve been here before when we drew 0-0 with Rosenborg and then went away and played really well and got into the next round, so we’re more than capable of going there and winning the tie, but it would have been nice to take an advantage with us.

“I don’t think we can play any worse than we did in the first-half. I think, second half, we were much better and, of course, you’re going to have little moments, but in the main we could dominate the game and dominate the ball.

“They’re a team who are set up well, they’re organised well and they press in those moments, but we just need to have that belief, especially when we arrive into the final third of the pitch.”

Before that trip to Kazakhstan, however, the Hoops are in domestic action on Saturday when they play host to Livingston.

And having kicked off the defence of their Premiership title with wins over St Mirren and Aberdeen, the aim is to take another three points this weekend.

“We can’t think about Tuesday because we’ve got an important game here on Saturday,” the manager said.

“We’ll make changes – we have to, to have the freshness in the team for Tuesday, but we’ll go into the game looking to get the three points, get the fluency back in the team again, and then we’ll head off on Sunday for a long trek but hopefully a rewarding one at the end.”