Mark Devlin 
Ian MacNicol/Getty Images Sport
Brendan Rodgers insists his side will approach their upcoming Scottish Cup fixture against Albion Rovers the same way they would treat a Champions League tie.
The Hoops are back in action this Sunday for the first time since their Hogmanay victory over Rangers, with the winter break giving them some much needed rest before the second half of the season.
And Rodgers has stated he will treat Sunday’s League One part-time opponents with the same level of respect as a European giant.
As quoted by the Daily Express, the Celtic manager said:
Every game is studied to the umpteenth degree. The minute you don’t is when you have an issue, you become loose and soft and that’s when you suffer.
The minute we knew they were our next opponents we afforded them the same respect as Barcelona, Manchester City and Borussia Monchengladbach. We’ve looked at all the details this week.
They’re well organised, play a 4-2-3-1, they’re quite direct, play off a second ball, so it’s another game we must ensure we approach with the same level of concentration as the others we’ve played this season.
No matter the league in which they play, we must concentrate.
The Scottish champions are top of the league table by a margin of 19 points and have already clinched the League Cup, meaning Rodgers has the possibility of winning the club’s first treble as manager since Martin O’Neill did so back in 2001.
In Celtic’s Coatbridge side Albion Rovers stand in their way, and Darren Young’s men will be no pushovers when it comes to Sunday’s tie.
The Hoops side just recently back from Dubai will be hoping to kick-off their 2017 with a place in the next round.
