Celtic will be fresh for Aberdeen, says Brendan Rodgers
Friday 28 October 2016 08:45, UK
Brendan Rodgers insists his Celtic squad is in great shape for their clash with Aberdeen on Saturday after his much-changed Hoops side won 4-0 at Ross County.
The Hoops boss made eight changes to the team which booked their place in the Betfred Cup final against the Dons with a 1-0 win over Rangers on Sunday, with skipper Scott Brown one of those left out after he became a father for the third time on Tuesday night.
Emilio Izaguirre, Cristian Gamboa, Stuart Armstrong, Callum McGregor, Patrick Roberts, Ryan Christie, Liam Henderson and Leigh Griffiths all came into the side in Dingwall and it was Roberts who scored in the third minute with a fine finish.
Although County had opportunities to level - defender Andrew Davies hit the post with a header after the break - midfielder Armstrong clinched the points in the 83rd minute with a driven finish before substitutes Scott Sinclair and Moussa Dembele both struck in added time.
The result means Celtic move seven points clear of Aberdeen at the top of the Scottish Premiership ahead of the trip to Pittodrie for the Sky Live clash on Saturday, having played a game less than the Dons following a run that has seen them go unbeaten domestically in 13 games.
"They will be fresh for the game at the weekend," said Rodgers. "That was the whole plan for tonight.
"So in terms of that it could not have gone any better. The game was played at a real good tempo and intensity.
"Every single one of them is totally fit. They are all fit. I gave Scott [Brown] a rest, he has three boys now.
"I thought the players who came in delivered and were outstanding. But it was a tough game, Ross County are one of the best teams we have played and we know it will be a tough one on Saturday."
Meanwhile, County boss Jim McIntyre felt the scoreline did not accurately reflect their contribution to the game.
"I think it is a very harsh score. For the last 15 minutes we chose to put another attacker on to try to get something out of the game," he said.
"Up until then we were well in it and created some good opportunities."
Watch Aberdeen v Celtic on Saturday. Coverage from Pittodrie begins on Sky Sports 5 HD at 11:30am.
