Brendan Rodgers is happy after drawing Zenit in the Europa League
After the UEFA Europa League Draw, where Celtic were pulled out the hat to play Zenit St. Petersburg, Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has shown his excitement for the tie against the Russians.
Speaking to the media, the manager discussed what is set to be a tough tie, but one that his side will be quietly confident of progressing from, when the two teams meet in next year.
We’re delighted to be in the draw and it’s an exciting game for us. We are really looking forward to that game when it comes along and it’ll be nice to see Roberto Mancini again. They’re doing ok in their league and they have some experienced players such as Branislav Ivanovic who I know from Chelsea.
Zenit boss Roberto Mancini will return to Celtic Park and he will remember an eventful 3-3 draw with the Hoops from when he was in charge of Inter Milan at this stage of the competition a few seasons back.
The Italian manager was also wary of the quality in Celtic’s team and believes that the first leg to played at Parkhead in front of the Celtic faithful, will be pivotal in the tie.
Twitter: Roberto Mancini, Zenit coach: “We’ve got a very tough opponent, Celtic are a really good team. The first leg away w… https://t.co/vFmtmlbF7L (@EuropaLeague)
Meanwhile, Celtic will be looking to improve their European performances after a poor showing and a rather bittersweet result against Anderlecht at home which ensured third place in the group and a place in the last 32 of the Europa League.
With the January window looming, Rodgers may look to bring in some more quality in areas such as the defence to withstand the bigger teams in Europe that Celtic hope to face. He may also look for some back up on the wing, after Patrick Roberts was ruled out for around three months and with Scott Sinclair not quite reaching the incredible heights of last season.
An advantage that Celtic may have over their Russian counterparts is that Zenit have just played their last game before the Russian League’s three month winter break. The first leg against Celtic will be their first game back in the new year so Celtic may be looking to exploit any rustiness in their ranks.