Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers admits his side face a tricky opponent in Hapoel Be’er Sheva as they attempt to secure a place in the Champions League group stages.
The Hoops were paired against the Israeli champions for their playoff tussle and, while respectful of the opposition, Rodgers insists Celtic are ready to accept the challenge and book their slot in the competition proper.
Hapoel Be’er Sheva have never before faced British opposition in European competition but they caught Rodgers’ attention in knocking out Greek giants Olympiakos in the previous round.
With just one hurdle left to clear, the Celtic boss felt there was never going to be an easy draw for Celtic and he wants clear focus from his players, just as they showed in getting past Lincoln Red Imps and FC Astana to reach this point.
“Any of the games we were going to be drawn in would have been a tough game but we will accept the challenge,” he said.
“It’ll be tough like the last two rounds but God willing we can get through, perform well and achieve the objective we wanted to, which was to qualify for the group stages.”
While Rodgers’ primary focus is for now on Celtic’s Scottish Premiership opener at Tynecastle on Sunday, the Bhoys boss feels there are some positives about facing Hapoel. Unlike Astana, the Israeli outfit have yet to start their domestic campaign.
“You certainly have to plan forward, that’s for sure. There’s a six-hour flight and a couple of hours time difference, not quite as bad in terms of the time difference,” added Rodgers.
“They aren’t in season yet while Astana were 21/22 games into their season. All in all, it will be tough as they had a good result in their last round [against Olympiakos] so it’s all to play for.”
Celtic are 1.67 to win at Hearts in the league opener on Sunday with the home side on offer at 5.00, while the draw is at 4.00.
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