THERE was incongruity at Celtic Park as yesterday’s ICC game against Leicester edged towards penalties. The loud, Yankee drawl echoing around the stadium as an advert for Uber aired on giant screens during the course of the game was at odds deep in the East End of Glasgow where the language may often be brash but rarely tends to the jingoistic.

There was, of course, the whole battle of Britain side-show going on with Leicester which still seems a little at odds too, the unfashionable Foxes and the Barclays Premiership champions title still containing something of a surprise to the eye. Yet, enough has been written about their so-called fairytale of last season. Celtic’s mission is to try and follow in the footsteps of their own legends. Their ambitions are currently far more modest than those whose names continue to resonate as the greatest XI to wear the jerseys, but perhaps currently seem just as daunting.

The question now is not about scaling the heady heights of Europe, but simply negotiating some of its rougher terrain. The Parkhead side will board a jet on Monday morning as they head to Kazakhstan where the first leg of the first leg of their UEFA Champions League third-round qualifier against Astana takes place on Wednesday afternoon.

“I have watched the games,” said Brendan Rodgers, in reference to Celtic’s previous game in Astana against Shakhter Karagandy on the same plastic pitch in 2013. “It looks a fast surface over there. I understand the difficulty of the game because of what they have done in the Champions League before but we are working hard and preparing well. We need to get better with the ball, that is for sure, but we are improving.

“I was really impressed with the mentality tonight. Okay, you want to be on the front foot but when you go behind you want to have the strength to get back in. It was a real good test for us and you can see that even at this early stage. Players at that level, they come back fit. Not overweight needing fitness. So today was a good test and the players have done really well.”

Still, though, Rodgers would have been forgiven for taking his eye off the ball yesterday as he continues to look for the wildcard that he can add to his squad given the dearth of defensive options he has available to him. Kristoffer Ajer did not feature against Leicester yesterday afternoon, a game that was settled on a penalty shoot-out with James Forrest the only player out of 12 to miss from the spot, due to a plaster cast on his wrist.

The Swede, still only 17, will however be on tomorrow’s flight and could still be thrown in at the deep end given issues at the back. Jozo Simonivic and Dedryck Boyata remain sidelined although Mikael Lustig performed relatively well in a centre-half role yesterday.

“He [Ajer] broke a bone below his thumb so he goes in a plaster cast tomorrow. We are working to get something on his hand that will allow him to be involved. He will train.”

Twenty-year-old Eoghan O’Connell, a product of the club’s youth academy, also fared not too badly with a goal and a relatively composed display.

“He’s a young player who has got a good idea of the game,” reflected the Celtic manager. “ I’ve been really impressed with his understanding of the game and he plays the position really well. He wants to defend first and foremost but you can see he’s confident on the ball and his finish was a great finish.

"He comes out, centre half, he’s seen it early and used the defender in front of him just to guide it. To beat young Schmeichel, who’s a wonderful keeper, from that distance, I thought it was a really good finish.”

Stefan Johansen will also be expected to line up for that first leg tie on Wednesday, although Nir Bitton remains doubtful for the clash.

As for Leicester, Rodgers has hinted that their experience of lifting the trophy last season may see them puff out their chests a little this term when the English Premiership gets underway again. “They are very humble,” said Rodgers. “They want to work and press. I am sure they will be happy to be written off. You saw that last season, they kept getting written off and it didn’t stop them. They have that experience now and will be difficult to beat next season.”

Rodgers's own remit lies in making sure Celtic have something to puff their chests out about this term.