Manager: Tomorrow, we’ll be playing for the dreams of our supporters
Manager: Tomorrow, we’ll be playing for the dreams of our supporters
After a blistering display away to St Johnstone on Saturday, Brendan Rodgers’ men have arrived in Dortmund ahead of tomorrow’s (Tuesday, October 1) Champions League clash with last season’s UCL runners-up.
The Scottish champions have had a flawless start to this season, with nine wins from nine games, including an impressive 5-1 victory on matchday one of this season’s Champions League.
Speaking to the media ahead of tomorrow night’s match against Borussia Dortmund, Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers said that his side will look to bring the best version of themselves when they face the Bundesliga giants.
“Clearly we’re very excited,” he said. “We got off to a great start in the first Champions League match, and now we’ve come here to a stadium which is like Celtic Park, it breathes football.
“We’re looking to bring our game to the next level. We’re under no illusions that we’re against a team that are competing at the very top end of elite football.
‘For us, tomorrow, we play for the dreams of the supporters and we’ll be playing for ourselves, to go and enjoy this experience.’
“Whether it’s domestically or in Europe, we want to make ourselves a very difficult team to play against with and without the ball
“It’s a wonderful arena, and we embrace these big games, so let’s see where it takes us.”
Borussia Dortmund’s stadium, the Westfalenstadion (or Signal Iduna Park), is one of the most renowned arenas in world football, with ‘the yellow wall’ notorious for its noise and energy.
The Celts, however, are no strangers to playing in intense atmospheres and Brendan has said that the mentality of his side will be key tomorrow night.
“This level is as much about the head as it is about skill,” he said. “It’s about bringing a mentality to this level and that’s what I’m looking forward to seeing.
“Bringing that quality that we show domestically and taking it in to this amazing arena and playing with confidence.
“We know we’ll face pressure in the game, but that happens to the very best teams.
“For us, it’s about transferring that game model that we see week to week, and if we can do that, we can be a really difficult team to play against tomorrow night.”
After a brilliant run to the Champions League final last season, Borussia Dortmund were unable to overcome Real Madrid at Wembley, with the Spanish side winning the match 2-0 to clinch their 15th European Cup.
Despite that disappointment and a summer of transition which saw manager Edin Terzić depart the club and Nuri Şahin come in to take the top job, Brendan is still well aware of the test that his side will face tomorrow night.
He added: “It’ll be a very tough game. Obviously they’re a team that’s very good.
“I look at their team and they’ve got some fantastic players in that middle to top section, so they’re always going to put you on the back foot at times with that quality.
“Nuri’s taken over and he’ll be fine tuning things whilst still being expected to challenge at the very highest level.
“They’re a top side with top players, and we have to be right on it to look to get a good performance and result.”
THE MANAGER’S FULL PRESS CONFERENCE
The test of facing Dortmund
Squad update
Balance of the team
Team mentality
Playing at the Westfalenstadion
Transferring domestic quality to the European stage
Thoughts on BVB manager, Nuri Şahin
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