Brendan Rodgers ‘really excited’ as Celtic switch their attentions to Europe

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers feels his side are ready to attack the Champions League after continuing their perfect start to the season.

A 2-0 win over Hearts on Saturday made it six wins, 17 goals and five clean sheets from six domestic matches.

The William Hill Premiership champions begin their European campaign at home to Slovan Bratislava on Wednesday and Celtic fans are optimistic about their chances of making a mark in the new format, which sees them play eight teams.

Victory over Feyenoord in their final game of last season’s tournament ended a 10-year wait for a group stage home win.

Celtic are in a far more settled and fluid state than they were 12 months ago and Rodgers wants to see his team build on their form in Europe.

“I’m really excited by it,” he said. “I think we’ve got good balance in the squad. We’ve got areas, of course, that I would want to improve later on, but we’ve done a hell of a lot of work and real, real good work, I believe, over the course of the summer. I think we go in a real positive place.

“The mindset is strong. We’re ready to attack the competition. We know the level that we’re playing at, but it’s OK. We will go and we’ll give it everything.”

Rodgers stressed they should never take their “bread and butter” for granted or underestimate how difficult it is to meet the demands of domestic success after winning 19 out of 24 trophies since he first arrived at Celtic Park in 2016.

But making progress in Europe was one of his major motivations for returning last year.

“At the very highest level, it was a real, real challenge for us,” he said. “So many really good managers before me, it’s been a challenge also.

“But we’re hoping now that with a strong squad, with improvements still to make, in our play, that we can go and really attack it.”

Rodgers handed record signing Arne Engels a first start against Hearts and the former Augsburg midfielder netted the opener from the spot before fellow deadline-day arrival Luke McCowan curled home late on.

Paulo Bernardo can consider himself unfortunate to drop out after his display against Rangers but Rodgers explained he had to think of the bigger picture and get Engels involved.

“It’s no good having a strong squad and then not using the players,” he said. “I like to make minimal changes, but I will still make changes.

“I just felt it was important for him coming in, getting that feeling, playing in the team, trying to understand some of the patterns, because then we can look at it with him and analyse with him the areas that he can be better in.

“And I’ve said before, and I’ll repeat, I want to build a team here that has power, that has speed and has that creativity and unpredictability.

“And he certainly gives us that, especially on a European level. He’s come out of playing in one of the top five leagues in Europe and played very well in that. And that’s a player that we need and we’re very, very happy that he’s chosen to come here. So I want to get him in.”

Hearts have now lost seven consecutive matches but head coach Steven Naismith believes their form will turn.

Naismith said: “I genuinely believe in a lot of the games this season, it has been small details, maybe an individual error or something going against us, that’s cost us.

“We need to have more of a threat going forward in the games that we have more of the possession but we’ve worked on that over the international break and I expect us to have that next week.