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Brendan Rodgers expects Moussa Dembélé to feature in Scottish Cup final

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers says he's confident Moussa Dembélé will feature in t...



Brendan Rodgers expects Moussa...
Soccer

Brendan Rodgers expects Moussa Dembélé to feature in Scottish Cup final

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers says he's confident Moussa Dembélé will feature in their Scottish Cup final clash with Aberdeen on Saturday.

The striker injured his hamstring in their semi-final win over Rangers last month, but Rodgers is hoping to have him back as the club target a domestic treble.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Rodgers said it's difficult to keep players fully fit with the amount of games they play over the course of the season.

"They're never 100%, that's the reality of it when you're a modern day footballer and you're playing so many games," he said. "I think we've had up around 59 competitive games. Some of these boys have played international games as well.

"They'll very rarely be at 100%, but we'll have to measure and gauge where he [Dembele] is at. But he's working hard, hopefully be able to join the squad."

Rodgers has already guided the team to an unbeaten league campaign and emerged victorious in the League Cup final against Aberdeen.

"Celtic is a winning club and it's been a pleasure working with the players.

"My idea coming into the job was to foster that mindset and help us to win in a better way. The players took that message on board and they've been able to have some sort of recognised success this season."

Celtic captain Scott Brown (left) and Brendan Rodgers hold aloft the Scottish Premiership Trophy last weekend. Image: Craig Watson/PA Wire/PA Images

A victory this weekend would complete a season where Celtic have dominated domestic competition in Scotland. Rodgers explains that while this is a motivating factor, he will not get carried away until Saturday's game is won.

"We know what's riding on the game, but we can't think about that. From a personal perspective, I'll only think about that afterwards. 

"Our job, what we wanted to do, was to win every competition that we were in. We've done that in the league and in the league cup and it's been an incredible season in terms of our goals. 

"This would really would really cap off a remarkable season. But we've got to go and earn it. It's important to understand that. The players will be ready."

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