Familiar Faces Await Rodgers in Dortmund Showdown

Brendan Rodgers is gearing up for a major Champions League test as Celtic head to Germany to face Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday evening. While the match itself poses a significant challenge, it will also be a personal occasion for Rodgers, who is set to come up against two familiar faces in Dortmund’s squad.

Rodgers will be reunited with Emre Can, the current Dortmund captain, and manager Nuri Sahin, both of whom played under him during his time as Liverpool manager. The Celtic boss fondly recalled his time working with both men, adding an interesting subplot to what will already be a high-stakes fixture.

“I haven’t seen him for a long time,” Rodgers said of Sahin, now Dortmund’s manager. “He was a very young player when he came to Liverpool with me, and it was a challenge for him at that moment because obviously we had a lot of really good players in front of him at that time, but he was a good guy, really good professional.”

Sahin’s career has taken him from playing under Rodgers at Anfield to leading Dortmund as their manager, an impressive rise that Rodgers clearly admires. For the Celtic boss, the meeting will bring back memories of those Liverpool days, but his focus will be firmly on the task at hand in the Champions League.

Rodgers also expressed his admiration for Emre Can, the versatile midfielder who captains Dortmund and remains a key figure in their side. Can played a pivotal role during Rodgers’ reign at Liverpool and will now be one of the biggest threats Celtic will need to contain.

“Emre, who I know very well, who’s the captain there—and again, he’s a fantastic player for me at Liverpool,” Rodgers explained. “He can play in a number of positions, but the positions he can play in, he can play really, really well.”

While the nostalgia of reuniting with former players is clear, Rodgers is eager to measure Celtic’s progress against an elite Dortmund side that boasts top-level talent across the pitch. He stressed that the focus will be on how his current team fares against one of Europe’s strongest clubs, despite the personal connections.

“It’ll be really good to see those two guys. But, importantly really, I’m looking forward to testing us and how we’ve been for this opening period of the season, and seeing how we measure up against one of the elite teams,” Rodgers stated.

The personal connections may add a layer of intrigue, but Rodgers is determined that Celtic’s performance on the night will be the main story. With Sahin and Can representing the opposition, the Celtic manager knows his side will need to be at their best to get a result.

Rodgers’ experience managing in Europe’s top comPetitions, combined with his personal knowledge of key figures at Dortmund, makes Tuesday’s match a fascinating one for the Hoops.