Tom Rogic Aware Of Importance Of Celtic's Clash With Molde
Tom Rogic needs no reminder of how crucial Celtic's Europa League clash with Molde tonight is for the Parkhead club.
Tom Rogic needs no reminder of how crucial Celtic's Europa League clash with Molde tonight is for the Parkhead club.
The Hoops' 3-1 defeat by the Norwegian outfit in the Aker Stadion last month left Ronny Deila's side bottom of Group A with two points from three games.
Molde, to some surprise, top the table with seven points with Turkish side Fenerbahce on four and Holland's Ajax on two.
The Australia midfielder is aware of how critical victory is to getting into the knockout stages but insists the home players will be able to handle the pressure of an expectant Celtic Park.
There is always pressure when you play for this club so at home it will be no different,'' said Rogic.
The performance over there certainly wasn't good enough.
They showed that they are a good team. They are very strong on the counter-attack and we weren't good enough to deal with that.
So they are not a poor team but we certainly didn't help ourselves.
It is important that we have learned from mistakes and make sure it doesn't happen again. This is a great opportunity to put it right.''
Despite the desperate need for a win, Deila is confident his players will approach the game in the right frame of mind.
He said: They know that they are playing for. They know what we want.
Every game is like this. We have lost three out of 25 or something so far this season and the players know how to react to these things.
We need to be very clear in how we want to attack and want to defend and then we know that we have the skills to win the game.''
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who returned to manage Molde for the second time the day before the victory over the Scottish champions, is hoping to benefit from his side's strong position in the table.
The Norwegian side beat Fenerbahce 3-1 in Turkey and drew 1-1 at home to Ajax before the win over Celtic.
The former Manchester United striker said It will be a tough game but the boys have put themselves in a fantastic position.
They have been great in the first three matches so I am sure they are looking forward to this one.
Celtic need to win this one to have a chance to go through and sometimes it is a good position to be in. The players have to go out and try to win.
My players can sample the atmosphere, enjoy it and they don't have the pressure of having to win the game.''