Celtic vs Manchester City: Raheem Sterling out to give former Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers another Euro nightmare
Celtic chief gave the flier his big break at Liverpool and will now face him trying to avoid a rout
RAHEEM STERLING plans to thank Brendan Rodgers for his big break — by giving him another Euro nightmare.
The Manchester City star will line up against old Liverpool boss Rodgers in Wednesday’s Champions League clash at Celtic.
Sterling made his name under Bhoys boss Rodgers at Anfield before joining City 14 months ago in a £49million deal.
The England ace, 21, said: “He was someone who gave me my full chance in the Premier League. He gave me loads of starts and opportunities and lots of confidence.
“It will be good to see him again in Scotland and I wish him well — but on the day it all comes down to winning.
“He was massive for me. I try to learn from every manager I work with and Brendan is a man I definitely learned a lot from. He really is a fantastic guy.
“He played me in different positions to help me understand those roles and what it took.”
Scottish champions Celtic were thrashed 7-0 at Barcelona in their Group C opener, but Sterling said: “We cannot take it for granted.
“They are a team that can score goals and any team at this level can punish you if you are not careful.”
Sterling is flourishing at City under new boss Pep Guardiola and netted his fourth Prem goal of the season in Saturday’s 3-1 win at Swansea as his side kept up their 100 per cent start to the season.
He said: “That’s something I need to keep doing. I have had a few chances over the last couple of years and I need to be finishing them off.
“What is going to make me the player I want to be is scoring more goals by being cool in front of goal.
“The manager has told me to enjoy scoring goals and seeing the ball go into the back of the net.
“With the goal on Saturday, I made my mind up straight away and managed to put it away.”
Rodgers knows his side face another daunting challenge against City having been handed a lesson by star-studded Barca in their Euro opener.
But the Northern Irishman, 43, insists his players will put up a better fight against Guardiola’s men — who have won TEN out of TEN this season.
Rodgers admitted: “Pep has done brilliant since he’s gone in there and he’s got some world-class players.
“He’s honed them really quickly into a really aggressive team and they’ve started the season really well.
“We know the size of the task but one thing for sure is that we won’t be as passive as we were in the Barcelona game. Hopefully we can be much more aggressive in our play.
“As a professional there is a little bit of humiliation in the Barcelona result. No matter how good the team are, it’s still very difficult to accept.
“There was that low feeling but, as a coach, you have to bring the players back into reality.”
Celtic go into the game on the back of a 6-1 win against Kilmarnock, which extended their lead at the top of the SPL to five points.
But Rodgers insists the club’s two-year absence from Europe’s top competition has left them playing catch-up.
He added: “Similar to the Premier League, the Champions League gets better every season.
“When you haven’t been in it for a few seasons, then it can be tough when you first get back in.
“The idea for us now is to be in it as much as we can. That allows the club to grow and that allows your playing staff to grow.
“That also helps you to improve the quality — but that will take time.”
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