Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers is looking forward to reuniting with Borussia Dortmund captain Emre Can tonight.

Brendan Rodgers
Soccer Football – Champions League – Celtic v Slovan Bratislava – Celtic Park, Glasgow, Scotland, Britain – September 18, 2024 Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers before the match Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff

The pair worked together at Liverpool but have subsequently gone their separate ways since their respective Anfield spells.

The versatile Can spent four years in Merseyside, one of which was under the stewardship of the Irishman.

It was Rodgers who initially brought the German to the English Premier League, signing him from Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen for just shy of £10m in 2014 (Transfermarkt).

A decade on, the pair will reunite this evening, and Rodgers can’t wait for it.

“I’m looking forward to seeing Emre Can,” he said (Celtic FC on YouTube).

“Emre was a player that was absolutely brilliant for me at Liverpool.

“I travelled out here to Germany to come back and convince him to come to Liverpool as a young player. He came in and he was absolutely fantastic.

“Wherever I asked him to play, he played with real maturity and quality.

“He’s the captain here and he’s a very, very good player also.”

Although Rodgers helped develop Can as a youngster and clearly admires him, he won’t want the Dortmund skipper to have a pleasant experience this evening.

The Parkhead boss wants his Celtic team to be difficult to play against and cause the Germans some problems.

The Hoops have started the season in terrific fashion, winning every game they’ve played so far.

Their emphatic Champions League matchday one triumph over Slovan Bratislava was something to behold and the thousands of travelling fans who made it to Germany would welcome a similar performance tonight.

Rodgers wants to fulfil their dreams but must be realistic about the task ahead. Dortmund reached the final of the Champions League last year, and although they have been inconsistent lately, they remain a top European side who shouldn’t be underestimated.

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