Celtic Park is set to welcome Spanish giants Atletico Madrid next Wednesday, in what promises to be a thrilling European night. Soccer Football - Champions League - Group E - Celtic v Lazio - Celtic Park, Glasgow, Scotland, Britain - October 4, 2023 Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff Ahead of the clash, Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has expressed respect for the visitors while maintaining optimism about his side's chances.

The heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Lazio, courtesy of a last-minute strike from Pedro, was a bitter pill to swallow, especially considering Celtic's dominance throughout the match. The 2-0 defeat in Rotterdam against Feyenoord on the first matchday, while slightly easier to take than the Lazio loss, was another instance where the scoreline didn't reflect the team's efforts.

Speaking to Celtic TV, Brendan Rodgers said:

"They're an outstanding team and Diego Simeone has done an outstanding job over many years at Atletico Madrid.

"He's been there over a decade and been really successful so we know the challenge and that they are a very good side.

"For us, in our two games, we have been really competitive and we're not far off from being a good side at this level.

"There were still elements in those games that I was pleased with and we will go into this game and look to give absolutely everything and see if we can learn from the previous two games."

The upcoming match is going to be make or break for Celtic, if they want to get out of the group, they're going to need to get something from the match, as well as wins in Italy and Feyenoord when they come to visit.

It's going to be a tough ask, given the underwhelming start as far as the points are concerned.