'Rodgers will relish opportunity to silence detractors down south'

On his return to Celtic Park in June 2023, Brendan Rodgers was unequivocal in his determination to make Celtic competitive in Europe once again.

Something that had eluded him despite his trophy-laden first spell at the club.

A win and a draw last season - against Feyenoord and Atletico Madrid respectively - were a step in the right direction, but we again failed to progress to the knockout stage of European football's top tournament.

Fast forward to this season's newly-revamped Champions League and we now find ourselves in the unfamiliar position of being able to cruise into the last game, knowing we'll take our place in the next stage win, lose or draw.

However, what may be seen as a luxury fixture by some will be viewed very differently by the manager, who will relish the opportunity to silence detractors down south by putting on a performance at Villa Park.

That won't be easy against an elite manager in Unai Emery - a winner of no less than four Europe League titles during his time at Sevilla and Villarreal - and his talented pool of Premier League players.

And it's a task that will be even more challenging given the absence of Cameron Carter-Vickers (injured), Daizen Maeda (suspended) and the now departed Kyogo Furuhashi - but that in itself provides an opportunity for others to stake a claim and it could be a huge night for the likes of Liam Scales, Yang Hyun-Jun and Adam Idah.

The squad of course has been boosted by the much-hyped return of Portuguese superstar Jota, and though he won't be available for this one, his re-signing is a real show of intent by the club before the knockout stage.

At 25, the ex-Benfica youth is no project player, and should he be joined by another former hero in the experienced Kieran Tierney, 27, this month it would mark a clear sign of ambition by the manager and board.

Should we also add a talented striker to replace the talismanic Kyogo then we can look forward to the next stage as well as the remainder of the domestic campaign with real optimism.

In the bigger picture we now find ourselves with the strange feeling of having not too much to complain about as Celtic fans - and it's one I could see myself getting used to!

Let's hope that feeling remains intact by the time the final whistle blows tonight.

Tino can be found at The Celtic Exchange