Brendan Rodgers has identified the Celtic narrative that people will 'cry about' as his side get ready to embark on their latest European campaign.

Champions League nights are back at Parkhead tomorrow evening, as Slovan Bratislava come to town.

Rodgers insists the Scottish Premiership champions gave a good account of themselves in the competition last season, despite only managing to amass four points from their group containing Atletico Madrid, Lazio and Feyenoord.

He told the media: "You look at the nuts and bolts of it, people will say you only got four points and then they will cry about that, and the season before and the season before.... I look at it that last year was (down to) decisive moments.

"Apart from the game away in Madrid where we lost a man early on and got punished by a team that got to the quarter-final. I thought in the other games showed up well in.

"We could have won the Lazio game, and should never have lost it. Feyenoord at home we were good and won the game.

"Away to Feyenoord we were good and right in it, then we concede and lost two men and that's the challenge.

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"For me looking at it I thought if we can strengthen the squad we can take another step closer, and we did that."

The Northern Irishman admits he's comfortable with the Hoops being favourites for Wednesday night's clash in Glasgow.

In the first of several favourable ties for Celtic, it is widely expected that they should get off to a winning start against Slovan.

Rodgers insists this is normal. Asked if he would rather they weren't regarded as favourites, he said: "Not really. I think it's normal. We come into every game and respect the opponent.

"Obviously there will be a narrative around this game, which I totally get, but I look at Bratislava and they have had four ties and eight games to get to this stage. So they have put in a massive amount of work and fight to reach this level."