Wednesday 20 July 2016 19:43, UK
Brendan Rodgers believes Celtic will bounce back from their shock defeat to Lincoln Red Imps when the teams meet again at Parkhead.
The Hoops go into Wednesday night's Champions League second qualifying round second leg tie trailing 1-0 from last Tuesday's first leg in Gibraltar.
Rodgers has refused to criticise his players in public for a laboured display at Victoria Stadium, and reckons they were undone because of a fortunate break for Lincoln.
"The players did everything they possibly could," Rodgers said. "We got done with one sucker punch, so it was a bolt of lightning rather than a massive shock to the world.
"Since I walked into this club the players have been absolutely brilliant. They're first class, fairly humble guys who have no egos and they are working very hard.
"They are in a situation where they are having their most important games are at the very early part of pre-season, but I've been happy with them in every game.
"Of course that result was disappointing, but I always felt it is going to be a totally different game at home and that is obviously the game we are looking forward to tomorrow."
And asked if he believes Celtic should be progressing through the qualifiers, Rodgers concedes his team are expected to beat the Imps
"Well that's our job, that's what we expect, that's what we want, and if we want to achieve our goals and play in Champions League football this will be one of three rounds that we want to get through," he said.
"So for me it's all about getting perspective and assessing over the two games, and if we qualify through tomorrow evening it's job done and we make our move on to the next one."
And striker Leigh Griffiths has backed his boss claiming the Hoops have enough quality in their side to reach the group stages of the competition.
Scotland's leading marksman, who posed with the SPFL league flag which will be unfurled before the game, said: "The manager will still have players in mind that he wants to come in and add to the squad.
"But I've got no doubt in my mind that this group of players in the changing room will get us through to the Champions League group stages."
The Scotland international believes an early goal in front of what will be a huge crowd at Parkhead will put the Gibraltarian semi-professionals on the back foot.
He said: "It's just about being professional on the night. If we get that early goal then I think that will scare the other team and the crowd will get right behind us.
"The manager called for calmness after the first game. It's a two-legged tie and we know it's only half-time so we've got a great chance of going through with the full crowd behind us at Celtic Park.
"Obviously you don't want to get beat especially away from home but it happened. We need to move on and tomorrow is the perfect night to go and rectify the result and go through."
Celtic legend Bobby Lennox, a member of the famous Lisbon Lions team which won the European Cup in 1967, will unfurl the fifth successive league flag alongside Rosemary Burns, widow of former Hoops boss Tommy, and club chairman Ian Bankier.
