 Celtic have become a better side since facing Manchester City according to Brendan Rodgers and he is looking for confirmation against Borussia Monchengladbach on Wednesday night. The Glasgow side go into their Champions League game with the German side unbeaten domestically and hugely encouraged by the 3-3 home draw against the Premier League side last month. Celtic have one point from two Group C fixtures while the Bundesliga outfit are yet to get off the mark after defeats to City and Barcelona. Rodgers is looking for his side to show their recent improvement and get the win that would put them in the driving seat for a Europa League spot at least.He said: "Since we played against Manchester City we are a better team and we are getting better as each day goes on. The younger players are gaining experience and this type of occasion will benefit the players. But of course we're here to win and in our home games we want to ensure we get a victory. We always felt it would be fantastic if we could be in European football after Christmas. In a very short period of time the players have made great strides and this competition was always going to help us on the journey developing players. That will take time but you saw the performance against Man City, it was a real high level. Obviously, we were disappointed we didn't get the win in the end but the performance level was particularly pleasing. We showed we can compete at this level and you have to show that you can back that up and tomorrow will be another brilliant game. We have to set the tone for the supporters who are amazing and hopefully we will get the three points which would be a good return for us." Celtic fans can be all but sure of another exhilarating European night with the former Swansea and Liverpool manager saying: "There is an obligation here as Celtic manager. I feel a responsibility to put out a team that plays with power, speed, creativity and unpredictability and that is what we are heading towards. We have players at the moment who are doing fantastic in this early part of the season but we are looking to develop that while having that improvisation and invention that I like in the team. But certainly up until now the players couldn't have done any more." Borussia Monchengladbach's Christoph Kramer believes he and his teammates will be playing against a "special" team. As well as taking note of the draw with Manchester City at Parkhead last month, the German has studied the Scottish champions on YouTube. And the midfielder has been impressed by what he has watched on the fields and in the stands. Speaking at Celtic Park before the Bundesliga side trained, Kramer, who started the 2014 World Cup final for Germany against Argentina before coming off in the first half with concussion, said: "Scottish football isn't as good as German football but Celtic is special. They are a very good team and we have seen that against Manchester City. They can do that against every team in Europe. So we are not playing against a typical Scottish team, we are playing Celtic, they play in the Champions League because they are good. I have watched some footage of the games on YouTube. I watched a song from one of the recent games, I don't know what song, and I also watched footage of the Liverpool game when they sang 'You'll Never Walk Alone'. So we have a tough challenge tomorrow. I think it is a 50-50 game. But I do not fear coming here. We are all looking forward to it. We are certainly not scared of playing against Celtic. We have earned our place in this competition and deserve to be here. We must play to win. That is always the case. Generally a draw could be acceptable but ultimately what we want is to win." |
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