ST Johnstone manager Tommy Wright reckons Brendan Rodgers will turn back the clock to bring Champions League glory days back to Celtic Park.
The Perth team’s 12-game unbeaten run ended with a 4-2 weekend defeat to the Hoops.
And Wright admitted the slick performance was reminiscent of Neil Lennon’s time in charge, when the Euro highs included taking the scalp of Barcelona in 2012.
And with the group stages beckoning aftyr a 5-2 win in Glasgow, he’s backing Rodgers to complete the job against Israeli side Hapoel Beer Sheva tonight.
Wright said: “I think Celtic are back to the pace and tempo they played at when Lenny was in charge.
“They’re definitely in a better place than they were the last two seasons. With and without the ball they look really good and their pressing is excellent.
“Last season when you won the ball against them they almost let you play a little bit but there was none of that last weekend.”
The Perth boss added: “It’s important for Scottish football that Celtic get through.
“It helps the coefficient obviously but it’s just good to have a team playing at the top level in club football.
“Obviously there’s a huge financial reward for Celtic if they make it through but there’s also a windfall for the other clubs in the league.
“We want all the Scottish teams to do well in Europe, Aberdeen were very unlucky in the Europa League and Celtic are nearly through.”
Saints defender Tam Scobbie will undergo a cartilage operation on Thursday and midfielder Chris Millar and centre-back Steven Anderson could return against Inverness Caley Thistle this weekend.
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