Brendan Rodgers says Celtic still respect Hapoel Be'er Sheva

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers says his team can capitalise if Hapoel Be'er Sheva adopt a gung-ho approach in Tuesday's Champions League play-off second leg.

The Hoops are in a commanding position in the tie after comfortably winning the first leg 5-2 at Parkhead last week.

And while Rodgers says his team are aware there is plenty of work to do, he is hopeful they can get on the score-sheet on Tuesday night and make things even more difficult for the Israeli side.

"They are playing at their home stadium and they know they have to attack," said Rodgers at his pre-match press conference. "It is a difficult one for them.

"The problem is the pace we have in the team. There are big spaces if you leave yourself open and this is a team that can score goals.

"We are averaging nearly three goals a game, so offensively we are very strong.

"But we know it will be a tough game and their manager (Barak Bakhar) has done a fantastic job here.

"As a coach, I know only too well that if you don't have maximum concentration in the game, you can concede goals.

"We always have to be aware of that.

"We respect Be'er Sheva and their qualities and they will be doing everything they possibly can to qualify.

"But the prize is with us and it is only for us to lose and we don't intend to lose it very easily."

And Rodgers also spoke about how proud he would be to lead Celtic back into the Champions League group stages for the first time in three seasons.

"I would be delighted of course to qualify," he said.

"It has been our number one objective from the day we started.

"To lead Celtic into the Champions League would be a huge honour and a great privilege.

"We have put in an awful lot of work, we have two hands on the prize and a tight grip on it, and we just need to make sure we maintain that grip.

"When you are talking about the great clubs of Europe, you are talking about clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona and AC Milan.

"To be back in among that echelon of teams would be a great honour for Celtic, great for the supporters, and allows our players to compete with the very best in European football.

"For Scotland as a whole, I think it is important.

"The game has maybe been knocked for a few years nationally but this would be a great tonic for the nation and would give everyone the opportunity to see predominantly Scottish players play against some of the world's best."

Meanwhile, Hapoel Be'er Sheva boss Bakhar is hoping for an improbable turnaround.

"In football, there are games where the impossible happened," he said. "We will try to remember these games.

"Of course, the fans will have a very significant part in the match. The crowd is very important, we saw it last week at Celtic Park. They can play a huge part in helping us produce an amazing performance.

"We learned a lot about Celtic and the target is to perform better than last time. We will try to do our best. The score is tough for us but we will try to do the club proud.

"My players give me the confidence we can do it."