Celtic vs Valencia - Rodgers confident Celtic level is as good as it can be



Posted Thursday, February 14, 2019 by PA

Celtic vs Valencia - Rodgers confident Celtic level is as good as it can be

Boss Brendan Rodgers insists Celtic are at the “best level they could be” going into the first leg of their Europa League last-32 tie against Valencia at Parkhead on Thursday.

The Hoops are six points clear of Old Firm rivals Rangers at the top of the Ladbrokes Premiership and have won all seven games since the turn of the year, scoring 21 goals and conceding none.

Indeed, the Scottish champions have not conceded a goal at home since a 2-1 win over Salzburg at Parkhead on December 13, all of which is encouraging the Northern Irishman.

He said: “We are at the best level we could be at in terms of the start we have made to the second part (of the season) and also to the level of our game.

“The intensity is at a really high level and irrespective of our opponents that is what we always try to achieve in the game, in terms of pressing the game and playing at a really high tempo and have that throughout the 90 minutes.

“So I don’t think the players could be in any better form coming into it.

“Yes, we have players missing through injury but  we have had throughout the season and we just get on with it, do our work, do our preparation and we prepare to win every game.”

Valencia are in eighth place in LaLiga at the moment, 20 points behind leaders Barcelona.

Boss Marceloni has been quoted as saying his squad is “tired” but Rodgers will not read too much into that claim.

The former Liverpool boss said: “Of course at this stage of the season you have been playing a lot of games. They will have that fatigue element at times.

“Look at the volume of games we have played and the intensity so you can have that fatigue but very quickly you get over that.

“When they walk into the stadium tomorrow night and they feel that atmosphere I am sure they will be as ready as us.”

Valencia boss Marcelino believes Celtic have players who can play at a “very high level” ahead of their Europa League clash at Parkhead on Thursday night.

The Spanish side are in Glasgow for the first leg of their last-32 tie against the Ladbrokes Premiership champions, who go into the game with seven straight wins in 2019 without conceding a goal.

Before his side trained at Celtic Park, Marcelino highlighted the talent Brendan Rodgers has at his disposal.

He said: “They have a very important player out injured just now in Kieran Tierney. But I think James Forrest, Odsonne Edouard, Scott Brown are all very good players.

“Celtic have a lot of very good players at very high levels.

“As a team, they work very well. They have a very good manager who has managed Liverpool and they have a very attacking philosophy.

‘I repeat, they are a very good team, with very good players. I have the feeling that, in the future, some of these players will be playing at a very high level.”

Marcelino, who will be without former Arsenal defender Gabriel Paulista, Spain forward Rodrigo Moreno and striker Santi Mina due to injury as well as suspended new boy Facundo Roncaglia.



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