THE complexion of a two-legged tie that Celtic are, after recording a comfortable 3-1 victory in the first leg at Parkhead last week, widely expected to win will change considerably should Rosenborg score first here in Trondheim this evening.

An early goal for the Norwegians in the second leg of the Champions League second qualifying round in the Lerkendal Stadium would mean they need, having scored away from home, to net just once more to progress.

What many fans and pundits have confidently dismissed as a formality for the Scottish champions would all of a sudden become an anxious affair for both them and their supporters.

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But conceding would also incense the visitors’ proud players – and that is something their manager Brendan Rodgers last night cautioned that nobody wants to do.

Rodgers was delighted with his charges’ reaction to going behind and is confident that if their hosts do produce a fightback it will rankle his men and provoke a positive response.

“Them scoring last week got us angry,” he said. “I think we’re better when we’re angry. When we have that anger and intensity and speed then we have real flow in our game. So let’s hope we can do that before they score.

“It’s the winning mentality that is created from the training field and then into the games. Over the last couple of seasons we have fostered that spirit and mentality through our work we do every day. And of course from winning. It leaves a feeling with you that you always want to happen.

“You know you can’t do it all the time, but you certainly want to search for it and go after it as much as you can. It’s something that is now ingrained in the mentality of the squad, and for any player who comes in they are straight into that in the first day they walk in.”

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Rodgers added: “It will be difficult for them, but I am always wary, unless it’s like a minute to go when I can then relax. We are in a great position now, we know we have the qualities to see the job through, but you have to do it. And that’s what we’re looking forward to.

“No matter how dominant you are there are always going to be moments, you are never going to have total control over all the games. We try our best to minimise the danger in the games, but, especially away in European football, you have to expect it.

“But we came here last year and played very, very well, defended the ball well, kept the ball well, and scored a fantastic goal. We know what it’s like to win here and that is obviously important so we come into it in a much better place than last year.”

Rodgers and his players have become adept at negotiating these awkward games at this early stage in the season – they are bidding to reach the lucrative group stages of the competition for the third time in as many seasons – and he is confident they have learned much from the games against Hapoel Be’er Sheva two campaigns ago and Astana last term.

“You have to have that calmness,” he said. “If you’re going to qualify you’re not going to have it all your own way. This is like a mini tournament now with four rounds, eight games, to get through.

“It’s important to prepare the players maybe psychologically for when things go against them in the game. It can happen. Our objective us to get through and very rarely are you absolutely perfect. Like we showed last week, when we went behind in the game, we had that calmness to deal with it.

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“It was like ‘okay, this isn’t ideal but let’s deal with it,’ and the way they dealt with it was very, very good.”

Rodgers will again be forced to field the inexperienced centre half duo of Kristoffer Ajer and Jack Hendry – who between them have a combined age of just 43 – after Celtic decided not to appeal the extra one match ban that Jozo Simunovic was hit with by UEFA for his ordering off in the previous round against Alashkert.

He feels the punishment is excessive, but has confidence in Ajer and Hendry to cope with the considerable threat posed by former Arsenal and Juventus striker Nicklas Bentdner once again and help Celtic to progress to a meeting with AEK Athens.

“I think it was harsh,” said Rodgers. “Especially because we had to wait to be told he’d get the extra game. It (Simunovic’s challenge) was purely accidental. We weren’t going to appeal it because there’s a danger he’d get more games.

“But Jack has all the attributes. There are elements of his game he wants to improve defen-sively but I have every confidence in both him and Kris at this level.”

Mikael Lustig travelled with the Celtic squad to Norway yesterday, but having just returned to training last week after the World Cup this summer it is likely Cristian Gamboa will start ahead of the Swede at right back.

“It’s just good to have that sort of experience around,” said Rodgers. “He’s been back with us now for a little period of time so we’ll assess that with the coaches. But he’s back now with the squad so we’ll see how he goes. He won’t be 100 per cent, of course, but we’ll see.

“Cristian played last week and did very, very well. He came into the team and showed his hunger to play well. Part of the thinking too is that he knows Rosenborg and knew how to play against them, and he’ll know again if he plays over here. I thought he was excellent last week.”