Former Celtic boss Gordon Strachan claims Brendan Rodgers would not have returned to Parkhead if he didn't believe he could see off Rangers next term.
The Scottish champions turned to former boss Rodgers after Ange Postecoglou left Celtic Park for Tottenham off the back of a Treble-winning campaign - and Strachan reckons that the former Leicester City boss would have had Michael Beale's side on his mind before agreeing a dramatic return to the hot seat in Glasgow's east end.
And he insists the Irishman will back himself to see off any challenge from the Light Blues this summer, stating: "There is only one thing that matters in football, and that’s winning. Brendan knows that. He would have thought about everything before he decided to come back to Celtic. He would have looked at Rangers, he would have looked at the squad available to him, and there’s no way that he would have returned thinking ‘we might win the league’."
Rodgers has set out his stall at Celtic aiming to make his mark on the Champions League group stage this term. However, Strachan reckons that the punters won't be bothered about the European ambition if they slip up in the title race against Rangers.
Speaking to Genting Casino, Strachan said: "There can only be one objective: to win the league. That’s what makes every fan feel good – you just want to be more superior than your rivals.
"When the season finished, and there were three trophies in the cabinet, no Celtic fans were thinking about not getting out of the Champions League group stage. I appreciate that if the club wants to be taken really seriously, then success in the Champions League would certainly help with that.
"I think success for Celtic is getting out of the group stage of the Champions League. That would be a phenomenal achievement when you consider the standard that they are coming up against."
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