We won't be playing for a draw, insists Celtic's Benkovic
Filip Benkovic insists Celtic will be going all out for the win against Salzburg on Thursday night despite a draw being enough to reach the knockout stages of the Europa League. The Austrian side have won all five Group B matches, including a 3-1 home win over the Scottish champions in October, and are already qualified as section winners.
The Parkhead outfit need a point in the final fixture to make sure they join Marco Rose's side in the last-32 but defender Benkovic, on loan from Leicester City, insists Brendan Rodgers' men can only play for three.
The 21-year-old: We are a team who plays attacking football most of the time so we will do the same in this game as well. It's not good to only go for a point.
This is not our mentality. We want to take three points. For 90 minutes, we must be behind each other.
We know how they are a good team with good players. We must focus more than 100 per cent for this game and we must believe that we can take a positive result.
They are doing very well this season and in the Europa League too.
Their results are down to their team spirit and they play very well like a team. We must play for each other and stay behind each other for the full 90 minutes.
We'll need to be patient and believe that we can get a good result.''
Rose warned Celtic that they will have to work for their last-32 qualification slot.
He said: Obviously Celtic will have more supporters than the last game in Salzburg but that is what we are looking forward to, the atmosphere.
It is clear that Celtic need a point but we want to play a good game so Celtic have to earn that point because we will give everything.
We have reached our most important goal already, we have advanced to the knockout stages.
We are first place but it is not all about the fact of winning six games, we want to be part of a great game.''