Brendan Rodgers has urged Celtic to draw energy from Parkhead’s strength and reach the Champions League play-offs.
An exciting home win over Bundesliga high-flyers RB Leipzig earlier this month put the Scottish champions on seven points from four games.
A win over Club Brugge in Glasgow on Wednesday evening would secure the points tally expected to seal a place in the top 24 of the new UEFA format, with three games remaining.
After a decade without a home win against Europe’s elite, Celtic have now won three in a row and Rodgers wants players and supporters to come together again to make it another memorable night.
“It’s another opportunity to showcase the strength of Celtic Park,” said the Parkhead boss.
Celtic manager Rodgers is looking forward to home advantage against Club Brugge
Nicolas Kuhn hopes to be the hero again after taking down RB Leipzig
Kyogo Furuhashi will be ready to play a big role against the Belgian visitors
‘I have absolutely no doubt that every team and their supporters will feel that their football ground is special, to be there, to play there – and I respect that.
‘But I know this club and I know the fans and I know the stadium, so I know how special it is to play here and how difficult it can be (for the opposition).
“What you have to be able to do is match that with the performance, and that is something I have been very happy with in the recent home games in the Champions League.
‘So it’s not just a tick of the box for players to come here and clubs to say they’ve played at Celtic Park, but it’s also a matter of realizing you’re going to play a match here and that combination of the support base and the team that made it a very difficult evening.’
Rodgers’ side started the group stage with a 5-1 thrashing of Slovan Bratislava and suffered a painful setback in Dortmund with a 7-1 defeat.
A 0-0 draw against Europa League winners Atalanta in Italy regained some ground before an eye-catching win over Leipzig raised hopes of a top 24 finish in the new format of the competition.
After Club Brugge, Celtic still has one home game against Swiss side Young Boys, plus trips to Dinamo Zagreb and Aston Villa.
Dizen Maeda keeps his eye on the ball ahead of another Champions League night
Auston Trusty looks determined to help the Celtic side keep a clean sheet
Paulo Bernardo clearly felt the cold as he entered Celtic’s training ground
If we are unable to beat the Belgian champion tonight, other opportunities will present themselves. However, aware of the impact Parkhead can have on even experienced opponents, Rodgers wants his players to take full advantage.
“It’s probably more common if you listen to other players,” he said when asked about the impact of Celtic’s home kettle. ‘But I also listen to my own players. It’s the feeling that brings it here. And we don’t take it for granted.
“If there was any hope when I came back here (for his second spell in charge) it was to have that off the pitch too – that fire and passion and emotion. And also bring that to the field with a level of performance and a level of football that fascinates. So that was the challenge.
‘And when it all ties together, you see what it yields. Just like the match in Leipzig, the feeling it gives, not only for that evening, but also for the supporters the next day and the days after. The feeling of seeing the team compete at European level and play at football level. So that’s what we want to bring.’