Rodgers is entirely right to invoke the “magic” of Celtic Park. Tomorrow night will be special.

This afternoon, like a wizard standing before us with a spell book, Brendan Rodgers invoked the magic of Celtic Park. He was absolutely right to do so.

A couple of Brugges players have already said they’re not concerned about the Celtic Park crowd, but they’ve completely misunderstood what it represents.

Tomorrow night, under the lights, they’ll find out.

I can’t wait for the game. It’s going to be incredible.

The atmosphere will be electric, and some of these Brugges players—especially those who’ve never been to Celtic Park on a night like this—are in for a rude awakening. They might think the purpose of the crowd is to intimidate them. But that’s never been the point of Celtic Park. Rodgers understands this, which is why he spoke so openly about its power today.

Celtic Park, on a Champions League night, isn’t about unsettling the opposition. It’s about inspiring the home team, energising them, and reminding them of the greatness of this club. It’s about showing them that they’re not just playing for a jersey—they’re fighting for a cause, a legacy, something far bigger than themselves.

This is what our stadium was built for.

I love that some of their players are talking big. I love that they’re coming with confidence. I love that our players, in contrast, are mostly keeping quiet and focusing on the task ahead. Carter Vickers talks about us being a “Champions League team” and so he should. That’s not overegging it. That’s just a statement of belief. It’s not arrogance.

Some of what we hear elsewhere is arrogance.

It’s easy to dismiss Celtic Park when you’ve never been there. Easy to say the pressure won’t get to you—until it’s on you. Easy to talk about your plans—until reality hits. As Mike Tyson famously said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth” and the metaphorical version will be brought home to some of these folks in short order.

Plenty of great players and big teams have come to Celtic Park and been floored—not by hostility, but by the sheer noise, energy, and the way the crowd drives the home side forward. That’s why Celtic Park is often called the 12th man.

Home advantage is always important in this tournament; look at the results the home sides tend to get. But when your ground is as legendary as ours, and your crowd as admired as ours, it’s even more significant. Tomorrow night, that will give us an edge.

It is going to be fantastic tomorrow night under the lights.

That’s why I’ve always believed we could win all four home games in this group. The latest from the number crunchers is that 10 points would almost certainly guarantee qualification. It’s not a mathematical certainty, but it’s close.

Yet why settle for 10 points when there’s more to be achieved? If we reach 10 tomorrow night, there are still nine more points to play for. This team is good enough to aim high.

16 points, which is what I think we should be shooting for with a realistic expectation, is, according to the number bods, the kind of tally that could see us push for a top-eight finish. Imagine that—a place among the elite of the last 16.

If we win the next three games, we’ll go into the final group match, in Birmingham, having already qualified and likely in a strong position for the qualification draw … but in fact, it’s more than that. We could be in the top eight and perhaps even safe there.

There’s no bad news for us going into this game.

No injuries, no drama, no setbacks. The team is in great form, brimming with confidence, and the fans are fully behind them. It feels like something truly special is brewing. Tomorrow night could be one of those nights we remember for years to come.

Rodgers was right to talk about the magic of Celtic Park because that’s exactly what it feels like right now—magical. This has already been a fantastic season, but it feels like the best is still to come. There’s only one more group game at home after this one, but I have a strong feeling these two games won’t be our farewell to the Champions League this year.

And even as we look ahead to what might still come in this campaign, I’ve been thinking quite a bit about next season, when we’ll need to navigate qualifiers again, this time to just to reach the Group Stages. But at the moment that prospect doesn’t feel as daunting.

Tomorrow night, under the lights, the world will see again the magic of Celtic Park. Brugge players have talked a good game so far. Let’s see how they handle it when it’s for real.