Rodgers Downplays Recovery Time Advantage, Embraces Iconic Derby Final

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers stated that Rangers’ reduced recovery period would not provide an advantage to his team ahead of Sunday’s League Cup final. This follows Rangers, managed by Philippe Clement, drawing 1-1 against Tottenham in a Europa League match at Ibrox on Thursday night, while Celtic had a Champions League draw at Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday. Rodgers, the Celtic boss, commented on the situation, stating: “We’ve played with very limited time to recover ourselves and played very good games so it doesn’t really come into it,” He added, “We’ve had an extra couple of days but it’s a final and every team arrives in the final.” Throughout his two tenures as Celtic manager, Rodgers has a strong record in derby matches against Rangers, having won 15 and lost only one of 19 encounters. He further remarked on the importance of the fixture, stating: “I know what it means to people, this game, and we have a number of these [derby] games throughout the season.” Rodgers expressed his enduring enthusiasm for the fixture, saying: “You never get tired or bored of them. It’s such an iconic fixture throughout the world so to have the possibility to have so many in the season is amazing. “This is what we’re built for, the tougher the challenge, that’s what we relish.” He concluded this thought by adding, “It’s not any other game, it’s an iconic game for everyone to be involved in.” He emphasized the coaching approach for such high-stakes matches: “That’s not lost on me but from a coaching perspective it’s about what allows us to perform and for us that’s to stay calm, look at our tactics in the game and how we pitch that to the players so they can go and play.”