Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel has cautioned the Parkhead club not to get “carried away” after their 3-1 Champions League win over RB Leipzig on Tuesday.
The Denmark international celebrated his 38th birthday in style as Brendan Rodgers’ team earned three points against the Bundesliga side, moving to seven points from four matches in the group stage.
While Celtic supporters are beginning to dream of advancing further in the competition, with the team now sitting in the top half of the league, and Rodgers himself praised their performance, Schmeichel urged caution.
“I think the biggest mistake we could make now is to get carried away,” Schmeichel said. “This is a ruthless competition. If we continue to perform like we did against Atalanta defensively and especially the whole performance against Leipzig, we have a good chance to progress. But we have to stay humble.”
“We need to stay grounded and not let the result get to our heads,” he added. “Next up is a completely different challenge away at Kilmarnock, with all the difficulties that brings, like the pitch and everything else. In modern football, you need to be at your best in every game. There are no easy matches, and we certainly don’t expect Sunday to be one.”
Schmeichel emphasized the demands of playing at Celtic, pointing out the need to adapt to various competitions and meet both physical and mental challenges. “We’ve shown we can handle these demands all season, but now we face a new challenge. Tuesday is in the past now. It was a fantastic night, but once it hit midnight, we moved on and focused on what’s next.”
Looking ahead to the Kilmarnock match, the former Manchester City goalkeeper stressed the importance of staying in the present. “Modern football has so many games,” he explained. “If you’re not focused on the here and now, you’ll lose your edge.”
Rodgers, for his part, praised the victory over Leipzig, describing it as the kind of performance that fans had been waiting for and one that he had hoped for when considering a return to Glasgow.
“I’ve heard it called a ‘generational game,’ and I can’t disagree with that,” Rodgers said. “It’s something we’ve been working towards for the last 12 to 16 months. Watching the team, I was incredibly proud of how aggressive we were, both with and without the ball, against a top-class side.”
Rodgers noted the confidence that such a win provides, especially following a solid performance against Atalanta. “The level of play was so high, and that gives us great confidence as we move forward,” he concluded.
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