Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers insists he feels ready to mix it with Europe’s elite for the first time in his two spells in charge.
The Parkhead side have endured a miserable run of results in the Champions League, winning just 19 of 78 group games and failing to win their opening match in the last 12 attempts.
Their last appearance in the knock-out stages was in season 2012-13 and, in the last two seasons, they have finished bottom of their group.
However, after breaking their own transfer record twice over the summer – spending a total of £30million on Arne Engels, Adam Idah, Auston Trusty, Paulo Bernardo, Kasper Schmeichel and Luke McCowan – Rodgers sees an opportunity to turn things around, starting with Wednesday evening’s home game against Slovan Bratislava.
Rodgers, who is beginning his fourth campaign in the tournament proper as Parkhead boss, said: ‘There’s absolutely no doubt, this feels like the most ready I’ve been as a Celtic manager coming into a Champions League campaign. Naturally because (we avoided) the qualification phase and the doubt around all of that and trying to get players in later on the back of that.
‘Last season I was coming in, trying to find out about players and managing them through that and seeing them in the competition.
Rodgers holds court with the Press ahead of Wednesday’s game with Slovan Bratislava
The Celtic boss shares a joke with a colleague during training at Lennoxtown
Rodgers looks relaxed but knows he needs to improve his record in Champions League
‘But, having had a year under my belt back here and seeing all the players and being able to improve a lot of the areas that I’ve done, there’s still areas that we want to improve in. But, certainly, readiness is a great word.
‘I think that feeling of arriving at this first game will be the best place that I’ve been in since I’ve been here,’
In what is the biggest change to the Champions League format in 32 years, UEFA have pooled 36 clubs in one league section.
The teams who finish between ninth and 24th will contest play-offs for a place in the last 16.
With home games against Slovan Bratislava, RB Leipzig, Club Brugge and Young Boys between now and the end of January – and visits to Borussia Dortmund, Atalanta, Dinamo Zagreb and Aston Villa during the same period – Rodgers has set his team a clear target.
‘I think our intention, firstly, is to reach the play-off. I think if you look at the teams that go through then, over the course of the eight games, I think you’re really looking to reach that play-off phase.
‘That would certainly be the objective that I would set first and foremost and then, from there, you can then gauge it.’