"Twelve months ago, on the eve of Celtic's campaign opener against Slovan Bratislava, Brendan Rodgers said: "There's absolutely no doubt this feels like the most ready I've been as a Celtic manager going into a Champions League campaign." The football that followed supported his statement. A venture that kicked off with a comprehensive win over the Slovakians ended with the Glasgow side suffering a gut-wrenching quarter-final defeat by Bayern Munich."
"With a few ups and downs along the way. As has been previously highlighted though, that near-miss in Munich has far from galvanised those in green and white. As this season's calamitous exit in Almaty a month ago would attest to. Instead of backing up that brave effort at the Allianz Arena in February on the big stage again, the Scottish champions have been consigned to the Europa League, alongside their city rivals Rangers."
"Chants of "sack the board" circle around Celtic before their visit to Red Star Belgrade on Wednesday, while Rangers' fan protests are aimed at head coach Russell Martin, who will continue his search for a first league win at the weekend after hosting Genk on Thursday. So is either side ready for a run in Europe? When preparing Celtic for their Champions League foray last season, Rodgers said he was "in the best place I've been" at the club."
Brendan Rodgers entered last season feeling the most prepared of his Celtic tenure for a Champions League campaign. Celtic began with a comprehensive win over Slovan Bratislava and reached a quarter-final defeat by Bayern Munich. A calamitous exit in Almaty a month ago led to both Celtic and Rangers being consigned to the Europa League. Celtic sit top of the domestic table, unbeaten with just one goal conceded and a nine-point advantage over 11th-placed Rangers. Fan unrest surrounds Celtic with chants demanding the board's sacking. Rangers face protests aimed at head coach Russell Martin and search for a first league win.
Read at www.bbc.com
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