BRENDAN Rodgers will get preparations for next season’s Champions League qualifiers underway after the William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final later this month by giving his key Celtic players time off.
The Scottish champions, who will win their sixth consecutive title if they beat Hearts at Tynecastle tomorrow, are undefeated in 36 domestic fixtures and have the chance to create history by going unbeaten for the entire 2016/17 campaign.
But Rodgers is confident his team can maintain their run using fringe players and will have no qualms giving the likes of Stuart Armstrong, Scott Brown, Craig Gordon, Mikael Lustig, Scott Sinclair and Kieran Tierney a break after they play Rangers at Hampden on April 23.
The Northern Irishman is prepared to rest his most influential first team members – even though the Parkhead club will take on their city rivals at Ibrox in the first game after the top six split on April 29.
No fewer than six Celtic players started for Scotland in their 1-0 victory over Slovenia at Hampden last Sunday and should, if fit, be involved in the Russia 2018 qualifier against England on June 10.
Rodgers is already thinking about his charges being in peak condition for the first leg of the Champions League second qualifying round on either July 11 or 12.
“We need to see when we can give them rest,” he said. “It won’t be in the next month. We won’t have any rest over that period. But after that we may be able to have a look at it.
“It won’t happen pre-semi-final because you are in danger of breaking rhythm. For a football player you need to be in rhythm, you need to play. It’s a big game (the semi-final) for us.
“There would be quite a few I would have a look at, not just the Scotland players. My duty is to the whole squad. I feel I have a big enough squad to cope with that.”
Rodgers added: “It’s [the unbeaten run] not a big priority for me. My priority is to finish the season as strongly as we can. But I made eight changes away at Ross County and we won and that showed the trust I have in the group.
“But I have to look after the welfare of the players. That is important.
“That is what I’ve always done because I have to manage forward if we are going to go into the Champions League qualifiers.”
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