Brendan Rodgers tells Celtic distance to Kairat Almaty will be no excuse

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers told his players there were no excuses as they prepare for their Champions League decider against Kairat Almaty.

The Scottish champions made the 3,500-mile journey to Kazakhstan on Sunday ahead of Tuesday’s play-off second leg.

Celtic need to win to reach the league stage after a goalless first-leg draw and Rodgers has stated how much preparation has gone into reducing the impact of the journey, which took them to about 250 miles from the Chinese border.

“There’s no excuse for us,” he said. “Especially when you see how well Kairat worked last week. They had the same journey going the other way, so that won’t be an excuse for us.

“We all feel fine, we feel great. We’re on our own time zone and we’ll prepare and there will be no excuse.”

Rodgers, who has Adam Idah back from a knee injury, added: “We can give lots of excuses. The heat, of course, it is warm. It’ll be warm obviously in kick-off, but it won’t really wash. We have to perform and that’s all we’re focused on.

“We have a lot of international players in the squad who are used to travel. You spend a lot of your life travelling, being in hotels, preparing yourself physically, mentally.

“Our trip out here wasn’t so bad. Guys get the chance to bond together as well.

“It will be nice just to get on the grass to have a light session and get moving again. By the time (Tuesday) comes, we’ll be ready for that. I’m excited to see us play in a pressure game and knowing that we have to win. That’s what you want.”

Rodgers dismissed accusations from Kairat head coach Rafael Urazbakhtin that his team had underestimated his side in the first leg.

“We always respect every opponent,” the Celtic manager said. “We know they were going to be a good side and hard to beat, and we didn’t quite play to our level, especially first half.

“But the advantage of two legs is that you get a chance to play against the opponent.

“We know they are really hard to beat, hard to break down, and it’s really up to us to impose our game. Having the first leg now really helps us because we know the players we’re up against, and we’ll look forward to that challenge.

“But certainly, we never disrespect or underestimate any team.”

Celtic fans expressed their frustration with the board during and after the first leg after a failure to supplement the squad’s attacking options but Rodgers gave supporters some fresh hope over their transfer activity.

Belgian winger Michel-Ange Balikwisha is expected to sign for Celtic after the 24-year-old was provided with a farewell opportunity to Royal Antwerp fans on Sunday after being left out of the team that beat Mechelen.

When asked if progress was being made, Rodgers smiled and said: “There might be. I think by the time we get back, hopefully, we’ll be close to one or two things.”

Celtic have confirmed that Australian winger Marco Tilio has completed a permanent move to Rapid Vienna.

The 24-year-old only made two substitute appearances for Celtic after signing from Sydney in the summer of 2023 and spent most of the last 18 months on loan with Melbourne City.