The Champions League allows Celtic supporters to see their club play against the best players in Europe, which is what they adore most about it.
Although Celtic’s primary source of income will always remain the Scottish Premiership, the Champions League presents a different kind of challenge for the reigning Scottish champions both on and off the field.
Brendan Rodgers appears to have lifted Celtic’s play on the field following their 5-1 thumping of Slovan Bratislava. However, the Celtic manager will face more formidable opposition tonight in Germany as he prepares to take on the runners-up from the previous campaign at the Westen fallonstadion.
And Alan Pardew gave a sensible and realistic response when asked if he thought Celtic might win in Dortmund, calling Brendan Rodgers’ work at Celtic Park “unbelievable.”
Pardew’s realistic opinion on Celtic beating Dortmund
The ex-Newcastle boss was very complimentary of Celtic as delivered his verdict on whether or not the Glasgow club could beat Dortmund tonight.
But Pardew also delivered a healthy dose of realism in terms of the financial gulf between Celtic and the rest of the top European clubs.
Pardew said on talkSPORT, “You’ve got to remember Brendan Rodgers doing an unbelievable job up there.
To put it another way, there has been a significant improvement in terms of financial fair play between some of these clubs—the Premier League, in particular, and Celtic. “They are actually up against Championship teams in the transfer market. So let’s put that in context. “So the team he has assembled there is outstanding and some of is down to Ange [Postecoglou] actually, who left a great set of players. Thus, they have a lot going for them, but I believe they will be going too far tonight. They won’t prevail there, in my opinion.
Why Celtic still won’t get close to Europe’s elite
And when Pardew was informed about Celtic’s financial gap compared to Rangers, the former West Ham boss said that the cash being generated in this season’s competition is only going to benefit the bigger teams in the competition still.
Pardew continued, “That’s beginning to become a problem. And you know, when you look at the European format this year for this Champions League, really it is the UEFA League, the league that they always wanted.
“They’ve kind of made it a Super League in a different name, a different guise. That’s what they’ve done.
“And actually, what they’ve done is give all the bigger clubs more money. That’s how it’s worked out, or it’s going to work out, trust me.
“So they’ll get more money, the gap will get bigger and teams like Leicester to win the Champions League, for example, who won the league have got literally next to no chance. So it’s all geared to one way.”
For a number of years, Celtic has been in a very strong financial situation. However, the Parkhead team is still unable to match the financial might of both the second division of English football and the elite clubs in Europe.
Nonetheless, Rodgers’ use of the financial resources at his disposal this season appears to be effective, as his efforts in the transfer market have so far proven fruitful. Dortmund will put Celtic to the test on the field tonight, and maybe players like Arne Engels, Adm Idah, Kasper Schmeichel, and Auston Trusty will rise to the occasion and inspire the squad.
Because even though the supporters are aware of the club’s financial limitations, they still want to see a competitive Celtic team advance in UEFA’s main competition.
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