Brendan Rodgers vows Celtic can smash through Champions League glass ceiling for last-eight place

Brendan Rodgers insists Celtic must focus on reclaiming their Scottish crown before dreaming of another battle with the kings of Europe.

The proud Parkhead gaffer has returned to Glasgow after watching his side push German giants Bayern Munich to the brink in their Champions League play-off clash. The Bundesliga big guns edged through 3-2 on aggregate but only after Alfonso Davies pounced in the 94th minute to snatch an equaliser for a 1-1 draw on the night.

It was a brutal punch to the stomach for the brave Hoops but the performance has already whetted the appetite for the Celts support for next year’s campaign. But Rodgers is refusing to shift his focus with this year’s job still to be finished. The Irishman, who takes his team to Easter Road looking to build on their 13-point Premiership lead, said: “Listen, I don't want to start talking about qualifiers for Champions League. We're not a champion yet. So we've got a lot of work to do in the league.

“We've got the games that we have left, so we have to finish the season strong. But Champions League, Europa League, whatever, the plans are well underway and there's a lot of work going on to improve our score.”

Rodgers, though, firmly believes his side have now proved with this season’s Euro exploits they can compete with the continental elite. And he is backing his team to march on further next time round despite not having the spending power to match some rivals in Europe’s top five leagues.

He said: “Yes, I think there are financial levels that we can never get to. That's clear. People talk about going to the next level. But that's always going to be a challenge for a club like ourselves or clubs without the finances of the really elite clubs.

“But we can certainly get