Manager: We want to play well and win at Pittodrie

As the 2024/25 league campaign nears its conclusion, the champions have gone through their final preparations ahead of their last away game of the season. The Celts will travel to Pittodrie to face Aberdeen tomorrow night (Wednesday, May 14, KO 8pm) with a fourth consecutive league title already secured after a 5-0 victory at Tannadice a few weeks ago. Tomorrow’s match will be the first of two meetings between the Celts and Aberdeen in the space of 10 days, with the Scottish Cup final coming up next weekend at Hampden Park. But, speaking to the media ahead of tomorrow night’s game, Celtic boss, Brendan Rodgers says that his side’s focus is on the trip to Pittodrie and not on the cup final, as he explained that there will be changes to his starting XI tomorrow night. “It the last of our three-game weeks,” he said. “It’s been such a long season for us, so many games. “I said that over the course of the games, the team will change and that’s what will happen in this game. “My longer-term goal over this period was to get the squad in the best condition that I possibly could and that means getting players some minutes in games. ‘The Scottish Cup final is a special game in itself, and when that comes in 11 days’ time, we’ll be ready for that.’ “There’s a different context to this game tomorrow night. The game is different, but it doesn’t change our ambition. “We want to win the game and, importantly, we want to play well.”And whilst the focus of everybody at Celtic is firmly on the next week-and-a-half and the potential of another domestic treble, the Celts’ boss, who was named today as Scottish Premiership Glen’s Manager of the Season, is also looking ahead to next season and the potential for growth after what has been another wonderful season for Glasgow’s green and white. Brendan Rodgers’ side’s consistency domestically has delivered two pieces of silverware already, a trophy haul which could be added to 11 days from now in the Scottish Cup final. And that domestic dominance, along with the Hoops’ excellent Champions League campaign, which was also one of the main highlights of the season, is something that Brendan says he is hopeful of building on throughout the summer and in to next season. He added: “We want to be a team that’s competitive in the Champions League, so, firstly, we’ve got to get there in the summer, and we can build on this season’s campaign. “I think that the players have performed at a high level this season, and what we want to do is sustain that level and sustain that European feeling as well, that’s what’s important here. “So if we can build on this year and look to develop, we’ll be really excited for next season to take on the challenge of the league again and look to progress in Europe.” Manager’s full press conference Squad update ahead of Aberdeen match Keeping the squad focused Looking ahead to trophy day Celtic’s winning mentality Importance of having a Scottish core in the first team Kieran Tierney Summer transfer window More pre-match build up Brendan Rodgers: Manager of the Season –