Celtic’s story in domestic competitions and in Europe have been chalk and cheese thus far this season. They are yet to be beaten in any domestic game this season but have struggled big time in the Champions League. The final game of the Champions League group stage sees them travel to English giants Manchester City on Tuesday and Rodgers will be looking to bid Europe goodbye on a good note. Manchester City have already qualified for the round of 16 and might not feature with their full strength team.
The Citizens are on the back of a 3-1 loss against Chelsea but were the better side for major parts of the game. The reverse fixture ended 3-3 at Celtic Parkas the Citizens were left stunned by the Celts. Rodgers will demand a similar performance from his side against the struggling Guardiola side. Here are three key battles which could decide the outcome of the game-
Scott Brown Vs Fernandinho
Fernandinho is likely to feature in this game after being send off against Chelsea after a hot-headed fight between the two sides. The Brazilian is a key player of the Citizens with his all-round midfield abilities. Guardiola probably would have rested him against Celtic but with him being suspended for the next Premier League game, he will start against Celtic.
Hoops skipper Scott Brown has been excellent this season and will come up with a strong contest for Fernandinho. The battle of these two midfielders will be the one on the paper and whoever has the better stats, could well end up on the winning side.
Sergio Aguero Vs Jozo Simunovic
Aguero has been pretty inconsistent this season and was sent off against Chelsea for a horror tackle on David Luiz. The Argentine will be keen to get back to his usual best against Celtic.
Unstoppable on his day, Celtic must ensure that they can keep Aguero silent. Simunovic has been excellent at the heart of Celtic defence this season and will be keen to give Aguero a hard run for the money on Tuesday.
Moussa Dembele Vs John Stones
Dembele has impressed for Celtic this season after his switch from Fulham on a free transfer and a host of big clubs are now interested in him. The Frenchman will be keen to impress against the big guns of England to take his name to newer heights. He scored a brilliant overhead goal in the reverse fixture and will want to repeat that again tomorrow.
He has been below par of late and needs to improve really soon. John Stones has not done a good job at Manchester City since his big-money move from Everton this summer and the combination of pace and power of Dembele will test the England international.
