Celtic warm up for Europe with a five-star performance to knock Kilmarnock off the top spot
Celtic 5 Kilmarnock 1
Celtic can put down a marker in the arena that has proved most frustrating for Brendan Rodgers in his time as Hoops boss when they face Red Bull Salzburg at home in their final Europa League group stage tie on Thursday night. Salzburg lead Group B and the Austrian Bundesliga and are unbeaten both in domestic competition and Europe.
They reached the semi-finals of the Europa League last season and are fancied to go the distance in the current competition. Rodgers, though, has seen sufficient evidence of an upswing in Celtic’s fortunes to believe that his players have the capacity to advance again to the round of 32, where they lost to Zenit St Petersburg last February.
A draw would do for Celtic if Leipzig should fail to win at home against Rosenborg, but the Norwegians’ status as bottom team in the group, without a point to their credit, offers no hope that Rodgers & Co can expect help from that quarter. In any case, Salzburg have the resources to finish their group campaign on a high.
“They have got big players and they spend big money. That allows them to have those players,” Rodgers said. “They’ll want to get to the final and go one better. They are a very good side.
“They see Europe as an opportunity beyond their domestic league to show their qualities. For some of the young players it is the opportunity to do that. They are a good team, well structured - good speed, youth and experience in there, but I'd have taken this scenario at the start of the group - absolutely.
“All you can do is have it in your own hands and thankfully, going into the last game, we have that. If we can come through, it would be absolutely brilliant for us because we have faced three good sides in the group - two national champions and a top Leipzig side.
“It would be a great achievement for us to make it past Christmas. In the last two years, our success has been built on a very clear, defined way of playing.
“When we go off that, people see it clearly, but when it comes back, people say, ‘That's how Celtic play’. We have regained the style and culture of how we play and have shown against Leipzig and Rosenborg that we are a good team. We haven’t just got results - we've been exciting to watch.”
Celtic were held to a 1-1 draw by Motherwell at Fir Park on Wednesday, having fielded seven changes from the side that won the Betfred Scottish League Cup against Hampden Park last Sunday. One player not left out was Ryan Christie – who scored the winning goal against Aberdeen and the opener at Motherwell – and Rodgers admitted that the midfielder’s form was so impressive that he was wary of disrupting the momentum.
“He’s played so many games and you do think there might be a point where you take him out but he's just enjoying it so much and deserves a huge amount of credit for his talent and mentality,” Rodgers said.
“In this run, he's shown he is a top-class operator. He hasn't just done it domestically in the league and finals, he has also done it in Europe. Ryan was outstanding against a top-class Leipzig team and his Scotland games have added to his confidence.”
Christie was in action once more against Kilmarnock when the surprise league leaders visited Celtic Park in Scotland’s match of the day. Missing from the Hoops line-up was Kieran Tierney, victim of a groin strain but likely to be able to face Salzburg, while Kilmarnock were short of Kirk Broadfoot, victim of a head knock in training and not risked under the concussion guidelines.
Steve Clarke started the afternoon as the only manager in the division not to have lost to Rodgers but by half-time that record was irrecoverable. James Forrest administered the first damage with a smart volley from a cross by Emilio Izaguirre, Tierney’s replacement. Killie regained their poise and Jordan Jones, their best performer, forced Craig Gordon to scramble a shot clear.
Within a minute, though, Celtic were 2-0 ahead when Odsonne Edouard rifled a shot home from a Tom Rogic prompt. The prospect of a rout grew when Mikael Lustig diverted a Callum McGregor free kick beyond Daniel Bachmann and became a reality seconds before half-time when Christie was on the mark with a delectable free kick.
Killie’s restart substitute, Eamonn Brophy, raised a flicker of hope with a penalty kick, but Forrest made it 5-1 on the rebound from a Christie effort. The victory put Celtic back on top of the table, two points ahead of the Ayrshire side and three clear of Rangers – who play at Dundee today (Sun) – and Hearts, who have played two games more.
