Rodgers can 'make history' at Celtic this season - pundit

Celtic and Brendan Rodgers have a ‘real opportunity’ to do something in the Champions League this season.

Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, ex-England international goalkeeper Paul Robinson believes the ‘huge draw’ of Europe’s premier club competition is more than enough to keep Rodgers, 51, at the club for the foreseeable future.

In the new Champions League league phase, the top eight will automatically qualify for the round of 16, who place ninth to 24th will compete in a two-legged knockout play-off for the chance to join them.

The Glasgow club currently sit in second thanks to their impressive 5-1 win over Slovakian side Slovan Bratislava and next face a trip to German giants Borussia Dortmund.

Brendan Rodgers wants Celtic Champions League adventure

Celtic have dominated domestically for the past decade but haven’t progressed from the Champions League group stage, now league phase, since 2015-16.

With five wins from their first five Scottish Premier League games, the title is all but sewn up, Rodgers will want to take the club to the next level in Europe.

“You’re always going to get linked when you’re a manager who’s successful and doing well”, Robinson told Football Insider.

“A football club like Celtic, the size and history of the place, that’s enough to keep a manager at the club itself.

“Brendan Rodgers has been to the Premier League, not like Ange Postecoglu, not like Steven Gerrard at the time when they got taken away from the Scottish Premier League.

“Brendan Rodgers is a manager who’s been there and done it in the Premier League, he’s managed Leicester and he’s managed Liverpool, and now he’s gone back to Celtic.

“There is a huge draw for him at Celtic with the Champions League, what a fantastic result they had and the biggest thing for them is they want to get out of the group stage.

“This new format, they’ve got a great opportunity, I looked at their home draws, home to Leipzig is going to be tough.

“Home to Club Brugge, a game against Young Boys and the Bratislava team, they’ve got a real opportunity here.

“We’re in uncharted territory with this new Champions League format, nobody knows what the magic number is.

“To finish in the top eight, I liken it to the Premier League, to stay in the Premier League we always talk about the ’40 points’ you need every year.

“I can’t remember the last time you actually needed 40 points, I think this year it’s going to be 28/30 points the way it’s going.

“So what I’m comparing it to is in the Champions League we don’t know how points are needed for this top eight, or top 16 if you like.

“So looking at Celtic’s home games, I think their Champions League draw is easier than Rangers’ Europa League draw in all honesty.

“Going back to Brendan Rodgers, he’s got an opportunity to make some kind of history there this season.

“Not only in the league, the way things are going, Rangers look to be falling away a little bit for want of a better phrase.

“The gap between Celtic and Rangers seemingly is getting bigger domestically but actually Brendan Rodgers has got his eye on the Champions League this year.

“And while that’s going on, I don’t think there is any reason at all this season that Brendan Rodgers will be linked away and I think if he has a successful season we might see him extend his contract at the end of the year.”

In other news, Celtic star feared out for months could be back ‘in a week’.

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