TOM ROGIC has insisted that there will be no less pressure against Manchester City tonight in the Etihad despite the fact that the result is statistically meaningless.

Results in Group C from the previous game mean that Celtic cannot finish anywhere other than in fourth spot, resulting in the curtain coming down on the European season this evening.

Despite that, Rogic is desperate to bow out of the elite stage by helping Celtic to give a strong account of themselves against pep Guardiola’s men.

Celtic took City by surprise in Glasgow in what was arguably the most pulsating game of the group with the 3-3 draw spiking the English Premier League team’s winning run.

And Rogic will look to go into the game tonight with the same hunger and determination.

“It is definitely not a dead game, that’s for sure,” said Rogic. “It is a game in the Champions League and we are representing the club and the country and it is a game that will be seen all around the world so we definitely aren’t thinking that it’s a nothing game.

“We won’t take it lightly or go into it thinking that it doesn’t matter what happens in it. We want to go and give a good, strong account of ourselves. This is the last game we have in Europe now until next season and we want to sign off on a positive note.

“We played really well against them in Glasgow and it is a game that we felt we could maybe have taken more out of.

“It will be nice to go and play them at the Etihad and I am sure they will want to keep pushing even though they have already qualified. But from our point of view, I think we have learned a lot in the Champions League in a short space of time.”

Few would bet on Celtic pulling off a shock; the Parkhead side have one win in 26 attempts on the road in the competition.

The unenviable task will be formidable tonight no matter how City approach the game but it is the currency gained from experiencing these kind of games that Rogic believes will stand Celtic in good stead.

The ambitions of the club are to compete not only in the group stages of the Champions League in every season, but to become a team who can be relied upon to plot a route out and into the knockout stages.

The backbone of Celtic’s squad this season was an inexperienced one in terms of exposure to the group stages of Europe’s premier competition and Rogic expects that the lessons, some of them difficult, absorbed from the campaign will help the club to push on.

“Next year we want to go into the campaign knowing that we can put the experience of this season to good use,” said the Australian internationalist. “I think our ambition as a team is to get one step further than the group stages. We have been in a really tough group this year but I think we have shown that we are capable of competing.

“It is difficult. You go from playing domestic games to playing against the best teams and the best players in the world. There is a real step up. You have to do everything quicker. You have to think quicker and you have to get it right otherwise a mistake can be fatal. But I do think we have learned a lot from playing in it and I think a lot of us feel that we have developed as players.

“We have shown progression and we have come through a lot of different tests this season. The manager wants us to be relentless, to keep trying to better ourselves all the time and we feel that as a team we are making some pretty big strides.”

Rogic has netted 10 goals for Celtic this season, a tally that has enabled him to level his complete amount from last season.

It is something he has taken significant satisfaction from but he believes that the return comes down to a strength and togetherness on the park from Celtic.

“The way we came back against Motherwell on Saturday afternoon was a different kind of test for us – but I think you got to see the strength of the team and the strength of the squad.

“The manager has been brilliant with everyone and I think you can see the confidence and composure we have. I think when you have that running through the team that you feel confident every time you step foot on a pitch, whether it is against Motherwell or whether it is against Manchester City.

“We are going into play some of the best players in the world tonight but there is a genuine feeling among us that this is where we deserve to be. It is about going out now and making sure that we show that on the pitch.

“It is not easy. The games are fast, you are under pressure and you need to have quick feet and a quick mind. But I think as players who have loved every minute of it.”