"Brendan Rodgers knows Celtic cannot afford to be fearful of failure in their Champions League play-off decider against Kairat Almaty, warning that it would "paralyse" his team. Kazakh champions Kairat held out for a goalless draw in the first leg at Celtic Park last week, even seeing a potential winner from Alyaksandr Martynovich disallowed for offside. That means Tuesday's return leg in Almaty - a 3,500-mile trip from Glasgow - is winner-take-all as both sides eye a place in the 36-team group phase."
""We always respect every opponent. We know they were going to be a good side and hard to beat. "It's really up to us to impose our game. We never disrespect or underestimate any team. "We have to play our game, play the football that we've played in a lot of the league games this year. If we take that into the game, then we've got a fantastic chance of qualification.""
Celtic travel 3,500 miles to Almaty for a winner-take-all Champions League play-off after a 0-0 first leg. Brendan Rodgers warned that fear of failure would paralyse the team and urged players to focus on performance and imposing Celtic's style. Celtic had 75% possession in the first leg, with 11 attempts and three on target, while Kairat matched them for expected goals (0.56 xG) and big chances despite miscuing eight shots. Celtic rotated their lineup for a 3-0 Premiership win over Livingston and must not use the long trip as an excuse.
Read at Soccer News
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