Celtic told to forget Champions League exit and focus on Red Star Belgrade in Europa League

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has told his players to park their Champions League disappointment and embrace a serious challenge in the Europa League after falling at the qualifying stage to Kairat Almaty.

The club’s failure to reach the Champions League group stage sparked protests from supporters directed at the board, but Rodgers said the focus now must be on what comes next in Europe as Celtic prepare to begin their Europa League campaign with an away fixture in Serbia. Celtic will travel to Belgrade to face Red Star at the Rajko Mitic Stadium, a venue famed for its hostile atmosphere and packed crowds.

"For us, for myself and the players, our disappointment [at failing to reach the Champions League] is long gone," Rodgers said. "We have to look forward and embrace this great competition. The learning last year in the Champions League gave us confidence and we built on that. We showed that we could learn and still play our football, and there was no bigger example of that than the Allianz Arena [against Bayern Munich]. It gives us confidence we can go away in Europe and get results. From the football aspect, our team is growing and developing."

Rodgers added that Celtic would not abandon their attacking style, but acknowledged they must be prepared to defend when required. "We won’t change our mentality. We always respect the opponent and prepare for a tough game, but we know we are a tough opponent as well. We want to make it a really difficult night for Red Star. You know, in any game you play in European football, you need to start strong. Our DNA is very clear, we always want to play attacking football, but you know we won’t always have it our own way. There are times when we will have to defend, but we have the confidence to play our own game."

Rodgers and his players will face one of European football’s most intimidating atmospheres on Wednesday night in Belgrade. The Rajko Mitic Stadium’s tunnel is famed for murals, graffiti and a two-minute walk from the dressing room to the pitch, flanked by riot police and Red Star ultras. Asked how he plans to approach such an environment, Rodgers replied: "Just embrace it. I’ve heard the walk is about two minutes from the dressing room to the stadium, so I’ll have to talk a bit quicker at half-time! But what an opportunity, just embrace it."

Celtic midfielder Benjamin Nygren echoed the mood, saying the atmosphere could spur his teammates to a strong start. "I’m looking forward to it a lot, I’ve heard a lot about this place and I’m sure it will be a great atmosphere," Nygren said. "I think it is looking better and better and we are getting better as a team. I think we can have a strong performance as a team. We have a lot of confidence. We are players for Celtic, so we know how good we are. That’s what you dream of as a kid, to be a footballer and play in front of these fans. We play at Celtic Park in front of 60,000 fans, so we know how that is."