Manager: We're looking forward to Scottish Cup clash with Raith Rovers | OneFootball

Celtic face the third of eight games in February this Saturday when they take on Raith Rovers in the Scottish Cup.

Brendan Rodgers’ side are competing across three competitions, with league and UEFA Champions League fixtures over and above the domestic cup demands.

And while Celtic supporters will undoubtedly already be looking ahead to the clash with Bayern Munich at Celtic Park next Wednesday night, for the manager and his players, the focus is solely on the 90 minutes ahead against Raith Rovers.

The Hoops go into the match on the back of an impressive 6-0 victory over Dundee on Wednesday night, and Brendan Rodgers is looking for his side to carry that performance into Saturday’s Scottish Cup tie.

Speaking at Lennoxtown today, the Celtic manager said: “In the modern game you really are genuinely thinking about the next game. You can’t look too far ahead.

“We had a great performance in midweek and we want to carry that through.

“We’re at home and we love playing at home, so we want to be able to take our game, our values, our ideas and, ultimately, our hard work because that what it boils down to in the end, all into the game, and when we do that we connect the game really well.”

The Hoops boss confirmed that Kasper Schmeichel will miss his first competitive game since joining the club, though his absence is only precautionary and he’ll be available for the Bayern game in midweek.

It means that Finnish goalkeeper, Viljami Sinisalo, is in line to make his debut for Celtic on Saturday, having also joined the club last summer.

And having made his Celtic debut in midweek, Jeffrey Schlupp will also hoping to be involved at some stage against Raith Rovers.

His manager is pleased to have brought him in to the squad for the remainder of the season, and believes that the player will relish the opportunity to experience life as a Celt.

“He spent the last decade in the Premier League, and I know through people I know really well that at Leicester City that he was a young player who came through the system and won the Premier League,” the manager explained.

“I’m looking forward to seeing him come here and showcase his talents when he has the opportunity, but also for him to experience being here because when you’re in the Premier League, you think the Premier League is the only league in the world.

“But he’ll come here and he’ll recognise of this club and the institution that it is, the pressures that are here, which are totally different to wherever he’s played before in his career, and I’m pretty sure he’ll enjoy the city of Glasgow as well. And I know that he is really looking forward to it.”

Ahead of Friday’s press conference came news that Celtic fans will be able to travel to Germany to cheer on the team in the Allianz Arena in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League knockout phase play-off.

And Brendan Rodgers is delighted that there will be vocal support for his team against Bayern Munich.

“The support we get and the passion they have for the game really drives us and helps us, so to have them there, it’s going to be great and we’ll need them,” he said

“The supporters are everything to this club. What they give to the team is what makes it. I’ve said it many times before about our support – whether it’s financially or emotionally, what they give to Celtic is what makes Celtic what it is.

"At Villa Park their young player, Morgan Rogers, said that he’d never seen an away end like that in any game, and that obviously makes me very proud as manager of the club.

“It’s not a surprise when you’re Celtic-minded, but we just want to make sure there are no barriers in the way for us to play and have that support, so we can play the very best we can.”

Watch the manager’s full press conference

More on the match

Celtic v Raith Rovers kicks off at 5.30pm tomorrow (Saturday, February 5) and you can keep up to speed with all the action via our Official Match Centre.