Brendan Rodgers feels Celtic have discovered they can compete in the Champions League as he savoured his best night in the competition with the Hoops.
Celtic came from behind to beat RB Leipzig 3-1 thanks to the outstanding Nicolas Kuhn’s double and a well-deserved goal from Reo Hatate.
The Scottish champions have now bounced back from their 7-1 thrashing against Borussia Dortmund by holding Atalanta in Italy and sweeping to victory against a side sitting second in the Bundesliga.
⚽ A #UCL doüble for NK10! ⚽
Nicolas Kühn gives you (a great option on the) wings! 🫨#CelticLeipzig | #CelticFC🍀 pic.twitter.com/9mtAQ1nLlJ
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) November 5, 2024
Rodgers said: “It gives a real nice confidence for the team. I think we’ve discovered in the last two games that we can be really competitive.
“If you’d said after the Dortmund game that we would have got four points from Atalanta and Red Bull Leipzig, probably not too many people would have said we would have done that.
“But I think we’ve discovered that we can play at the level. So it’s a great next step.
“To have seven points after four games, especially with the level of performance that we’ve played, gives us great encouragement.
“It means in the next four games we can have a real confidence to go and make the play-off stage, but it’s still such a long way to go.”
Rodgers agreed it was his best night with Celtic in Europe, pointing out that Leipzig have only conceded five goals in nine Bundesliga matches.
“In terms of the level of opponent, I would say that actually it wasn’t just the result, but the performance,” he said. “We played the game with a great charisma and confidence and showed the courage in our pressing.
“We’ve had some really good results but that definitely would be the best one.”
Celtic have now played their three hardest games in the league phase on paper and sit above the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan and Paris St Germain after winning three consecutive home games in the Champions League for the first time since 2007.
When asked if they could even target a potential top-eight place, Rodgers said: “No, we have to stay humble in our world. We can’t get too far ahead of ourselves. We played so well. We’re in a really good place and we now just focus on our next game against Kilmarnock.
“Obviously, when Club Brugge comes, we’ll look to keep adding to our points and see where it takes us at the end of January.”
Kuhn looked unplayable at times and scored a wonderful equaliser as he curled in off the post from 20 yards, but Rodgers was keen to stress the German winger can still improve.
“He’s still young so he still has more to go,” Rodgers said. “I thought his pressing could have been better. That was the thing I said to him.
“He’s obviously got goal contribution efficiency but he’s just learning and developing all the time.
“We’ve seen his talent. Bringing him to here was about making more goal contributions, being more robust and sustaining playing.
“But I thought he was really exciting when he had the ball and obviously the two goals were great for him having worked at Red Bull Leipzig before as a young player.”
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Arsenal hold meeting with Viktor Gyokeres' agent Liverpool Now "They only brag about their UCLs" lol Joshua couldn't keep up the pressure Senegoal? ThisPlease stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: Justtoonit, FootballLaughss, NoContextChe1, originaltrollfootball, PL__OOC)...
The former Borussia Dortmund winger is back at Manchester United after Chelsea rejected the chance to make his move permanent.Chelsea have turned down the chance to sign Jadon SanchoManager Ruben Amorim has no plans to integrate Sancho back into his first team - meaning the 25-year-old is searching for a fresh start.And SunSport understands Aston Villa, Tottenham and Newcastle are all monitoring d...
Marseille have reached an agreement in principle to sign England midfielder Angel Gomes, the Ligue 1 club announced Wednesday.Gomes had previously revealed that he would leave Lille when his contract expires this summer.The 24 year-old impressed when earning his first England caps under interim head coach Lee Carsley last year but has yet to feature under current boss Thomas Tuchel.Angel Gomes' pe...
The Premier League champs intend to spend big on another attacker even after they complete a British-transfer record £127million deal for Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz.Bradley Barcola has emerged as a shock target for LiverpoolLiverpool still have hope of signing Alexander IsakFlorian Wirtz is set to move to Anfield in a record £127m dealAnd they are prepared to battle Bayern Munich f...
Marseille land GomesMarseille have completed the signing of England international Angel Gomes on a free transfer.The midfielder is leaving Lille at the end of his contract but has turned down reported Premier League interest to remain in Ligue 1.Newcastle and Chelsea battle for TraffordNewcastle fear Chelsea could hijack their move for Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford, report The Telegraph.The En...
Joao Felix and Sterling left out of Chelsea CWC squadChelsea have included several new signings in their Club World Cup squad, leaving out Raheem Sterling and Joao Felix.New signings Mike Penders, Mamadou Sarr, Dario Essugo, and Liam Delap were included in Enzo Maresca’s squad for the United States.Among those left out are Sterling and Felix, both of whom spent time away from Stamford Bridge...
Quentin Merlin and Portugal's defender Rodrigo Pinheiro vie for the ballGroup C heavy-hitters Portugal and France played out a tense 0-0 draw on matchday one of the 2025 UEFA European U21 Championships, as Rui Jorge’s side avoided a third successive defeat with an assured display in Trencin.In a first meeting between the two heavyweight nations since 2011, it was Portugal who edged a cagey o...
Arsenal star Saka admits fears over hamstring injury recoveryArsenal star Bukayo Saka admits he doubted his fitness after suffering a hamstring injury earlier this season.The 23-year-old came off the bench in England’s 3-1 loss to Senegal and has now opened up about the self-doubts he faced in regaining form, having been a key figure for both club and country.0"It’s about not thinking ...
Premier League clubs increased their spending in the January window to £370 million -- up on the £100m paid out last year -- though Manchester City are chiefly responsible after splashing out £180m of that on their own. We were nowhere near the 2023 record of £815m, but will the summer see a rise in expensive moves?This year, for the first time, the transfer window has been spl...
The 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup kicks off a year today when joint-hosts Mexico get the tournament underway in Mexico City's Azteca Stadium on June 11, 2026.It will be the biggest World Cup, with the format expanding from 32 nations at Qatar 2022 to 48 teams in USA, Mexico and Canada. The result is 104 games across 16 cities in three nations before the new world champion is crowned at New Jersey's Me...
- 1 Bryan Mbeumo 'picks between Man Utd and Tottenham' as transfer agreement struck
- 2 England player ratings vs Andorra: Cole Palmer disappoints as Kane bails out Tuchel
- 3 Bayer Leverkusen interested in shock move for Jack Grealish
- 4 Portugal vs France Prediction 12 June 2025
- 5 Brazil vs Paraguay Prediction 11 June 2025
- 6 Daily Laugh - Morata : Me again?
- 7 Harvey Elliott opens door to Liverpool exit
- 8 Tottenham players fuming! Spurs facing player revolt as stars left furious by decision to brutally sack Ange Postecoglou after Europa League win
- 9 Transfer news: Jadon Sancho announces move as Liverpool confirm deal
- 10 'We are responsible for the results' - England boss Thomas Tuchel gives verdict on Tottenham's decision to sack Ange Postecoglou despite Europa League glory