Luis Enrique is in no doubt about the calibre of the guy in the other dug out tonight.
The Barcelona boss is steeped in Nou Camp tradition and sees Brendan Rodgers as another disciple of that footballing philosophy.
Enrique and Rodgers go back a long way on the coaching circuit with tonight’s meeting giving them a live and competitive opportunity to test out all of their theories.
While being students of the game both men know that it’s a results driven business. Without winning neither will get the chance to put their ideas into practise.
Looking ahead to the clash of the coaches Enrique said: “I like Brendan as a coach. I knew him from a long time before, when I met him at the Mini Estadi watching Barca B. He’s a lover of good football, he plays an attractive style and I like coaches who attack.
“I also like coaches who let players have the burden and take the initiative, like Celtic do. His team tries to go forward, hit the goalline and create chances.
“We have watched them several times and they have players who can cause us problems in attack. Brendan is a good coach and I like his philosophy on football.”
While pleased by those comments Rodgers won’t be fooled into thinking that tonight’s match will be some sort of friendly re-union- Enrique’s team are capable of causing serious damage to the best in the business.
Saturday’s celebrations are already history for the Celtic coach, tonight the Irishman embarks on a different level of competition- the level that he judges himself at.
