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Celtic got their season off the best possible start last weekend with a 1-0 home win over St Mirren in the opening game of the season at Paradise.With three points already on the board, the Hoops will...

Manager: I'm excited for the challenge of Sunday's match at Pittodrie

Celtic got their season off the best possible start last weekend with a 1-0 home win over St Mirren in the opening game of the season at Paradise.

With three points already on the board, the Hoops will head to the North-East this weekend for their first away match of the season against Aberdeen.

The last time the Celts visited the Granite City, they walked away with a 5-1 victory over Jimmy Thelin’s side, however, Aberdeen bounced back from that resounding defeat with a win against Celtic in the Scottish Cup final a few weeks later.

Ahead of this weekend’s match, Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers spoke to the press at Lennoxtown and reflected on that defeat as he also explained the ongoing work that he puts in to keep his team as motivated as possible.

“The cup final was hard to lose,” Brendan said. “Because you know the disappointment that gives so many people.

“I also know that the players gave everything through the course of the season and how they felt at the end of the game.

“I felt sad for them because we were on the verge of winning a treble at the end of a brilliant season and it ends in that way.

‘We have a core group of players here who understand what it means to play for Celtic.’

“Now we have to renew the motivation again. I’m excited to be going up to Pittodrie, it’s always a tough place to go and I’ll be ready to see my team play well in that game.

“Along with myself and my staff, we look to drive them every day, and that starts with the training, the mentality and standards that you create.

“You have to find the ways to motivate the players and get them to commit to what it is we do. That’s an ongoing item every day."

It was announced earlier today that forward, Johnny Kenny has signed an extension to his contract that sees him commit his future to Celtic until 2029.

The Irishman grabbed his first goal for Celtic at Pittodrie in May on the night that he made his first start for the club.

Speaking about Kenny’s contract extension, Brendan Rodgers praised the work that the young forward has put in over the course of the summer.

Brendan added: “It’s good news for Johnny and the club. He’s a young player who joined the club a few years ago and we can see the difference in his development since he came back from his loan spell in January

“We think he has a lot of development still to go. He’s quick, he’s hungry and we think in the future he can be a really good asset for the club.

“He's had a really good pre-season, worked very hard and this will give him confidence and the feeling that he’s wanted at the club."