Brendan Rodgers says Celtic have 'culture' of bouncing back from adversity
Wednesday 20 February 2019 22:23, UK
Brendan Rodgers says the ability to bounce back from adversity is "within our culture" as Celtic look to overturn a first leg defeat at home to Valencia and advance to the last-16 of the Europa League.
The Hoops lost 2-0 at home to their Spanish opponents in last week's opening encounter and now face the task of turning the tie around at the Mestalla Stadium on Thursday night.
Celtic have not won in Spain in 15 attempts but Rodgers remains optimistic they can buck that trend and progress in the competition.
"It was disappointing last week but we can come back again tomorrow night and that is something that is very much within our culture," he said.
"We know it is a challenge but if I look at the game and ask myself 'do we have a chance', of course we do.
"And when the answer is yes, we have to put every energy and effort into taking that chance, even though it will be difficult.
"That's been the make-up of this group since I came. It's a game that we look forward to. We obviously have to work our way into the game.
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"If we think back to our home leg, we started very well and lost our way a little bit. We conceded just before and after half-time which broke our rhythm in the game and made it difficult against a good side.
"It will be important to be defensively compact, tight and concentrated. And then when we have the ball, we look to create opportunities.
"The first goal will be very important, but it's about not giving anything away. We are playing a good team.
"Our focus is on bringing our game. We need to be strong and aggressive, we can't make mistakes. We made two mistakes and found ourselves two down.
"If we can get that first goal that will give the team that extra confidence to go and get another."
Celtic bounced back from the defeat against Valencia with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday, a result that leaves them eight points clear at the top of the table, a factor Rodgers acknowledged will give them further cause for optimism in Valencia.
"After a disappointing performance we've always tried to analyse it openly and honestly," he added.
"We had to be concentrated on Sunday to get a result and we eventually did that. The result and how we performed in Sunday's game will give us confidence, but this is a different game and different level.
"What we need to ensure is that in the moments of pressure we can stay strong and stay compact. It's a challenge for us, but I'm really looking forward to it."
