BRENDAN Rodgers looks at Scott Brown and sees a little bit of Steven Gerrard.

By that, the Celtic manager means a versatile veteran footballer who uncomplainingly sets aside his individual ambitions for those of the team, a character regarded as part of the fabric of the club yet one who isn't immune from a healthy dose of criticism when things go awry.

If some Celtic fans have a love/hate relationship with their captain it is worth stating right away that Rodgers' time with Gerrard had its downs as well as its ups. The on-field captain and fulcrum of the side which nearly took the title back to Anfield before one fateful slip against Chelsea, Gerrard fell out of favour the following season and eventually left for the MLS. Rather than a blaze of glory, his departure came shortly after taking umbrage at being omitted from one last starting line-up against Manchester United, seeing red seconds after appearing from the substitutes' bench for a kick on Juan Mata.

How much of all this transpires with his captain at Celtic remains to be seen, but Rodgers is well aware that Brown will be a key lieutenant when it comes to tonight's second leg against Astana. With Nir Bitton set to miss out with a swollen ankle, the Scotland captain will be relied upon to show another string to his bow, by hoarding possession in a deeper midfield role against the Kazakhs. In Rodgers parlance, he will be a "controller" rather than a "runner in the corridor".

The Celtic manager was effusive yesterday about how quickly Brown has adjusted to different tactical concepts and feels that at 31 he could be about to enter a new phase of his career. All that nous may be required tonight with Celtic knowing a goalless draw will suffice for them to reach the play-off round while a large Parkhead crowd roar the home side on.

"They are very similar," said Rodgers. "Steven, like Scott, was a wonderful ambassador for his club. And in the changing room they are very strong, they are able to lead.

"Scott’s ambition is for the club, not for himself," he added. "That’s what you find in these types of players – they are not selfish. Everything they do is based around what’s best for the team and they put themselves secondary to that.

"But Scott is such a driving force for the team, that sometimes when things don’t go so well for the team that player gets the brunt of it. I saw that with Steven Gerrard. With everything Steven did at Liverpool, there were still times when he bore the brunt of it. But thankfully he has a strong character. Mentally Scott is very good and knows he has a big responsibility here as one of the main pillars of the club."

Brown has shown Rodgers things that he "didn't think he had, to be honest". "The kid has been a runner all his life, ever since he broke into the Hibs team at 17," said the Celtic manager. “But from what we have given them so far, which has been a lot, he is tactically very astute. He probes into spaces, fills gaps both with and without the ball. His passing is good and he can open it up at times. Of course, like any player it could be better. But he can really drive the team, hunt and press. Then he has the calmness to make the first pass when he wins it. So he has really impressed me."

Celtic will guarantee themselves a place in the Europa League group stages at worst with victory tonight. There is a school of thought that Uefa's secondary competition would prove a more forgiving standard of play to bed in a new team. But the thought hasn't entered Rodgers' mind. "As a team we set our target to qualify for the group stage and hopefully nothing will get in the way of that," said Rodgers. "The Europa League I haven’t given one second’s thought to.”

New strikers enjoy little time to adjust at clubs like Celtic but Rodgers feels it is important that Moussa Dembele, still to get off the mark, is given "breathing space". "It’s worth remembering it’s still pre-season," he said. "I know the nature of life here is that there is competition very early on. But the goals will come. He is settling into working in a different country with a different group of teammates and has just turned 20. Even talent needs time."

One young talent who has wasted little of his acclimatising to the big time is Kieran Tierney. The left back, all of 19, has shown an uncanny knack of handing big occasions and will hope to put in a similarly nerveless display with £16m Champions League cash on the line in the latest biggest match of his life. He revealed yesterday that his secret was doing the matchday quiz in the programme in the dressing room before kick off.

“There is always a programme there when you go in and sit down, so everyone has a read of that," said Tierney. "There’s a quiz at the back of that, a Celtic quiz, so I try my best to do that every week. You don’t want to be just sitting there for an hour in the dressing room knowing it’s a big, big game.” After two seasons on the outside looking in, Celtic will hope to have all the right answers to their Champions League conundrum.