It is fitting that Celtic’s tentative steps towards the third leg of domestic Treble should come against Albion Rovers in the Scottish Cup this weekend.

As the Parkhead side unveil a series of events this summer to mark the 50th anniversary of the Lisbon Lions and their 1967 triumph against Inter Milan, Brendan Rodgers will look to deliver a modern day success story in keeping with Jock Stein’s philosophy.

Stein oversaw the most successful years in Celtic’s history, the apogee of which came when the club became the first British side to win the European Cup.

Read more: Scottish football should be grateful for Peter Lawwell's influence, says Brendan Rodgers

Stein’s playing career began at Albion Rovers where he spent eight seasons, and Rodgers is well aware of how significant a shadow he casts over any subsequent incumbents of the Celtic managerial seat.

Other than Stein, Martin O’Neill is the only other Celtic manager to win a domestic Treble – Stein won two – and while Rodgers will do his utmost to protect his players from absorbing the pressure that accompanies that expectation this term, his own belief is that he carries a responsibility to deliver a style of playing that embraces the attacking culture that was celebrated by his great predecessor.

"It was incredible what Jock did, when you see the story of where they were beforehand,” said Rodgers. “He was way ahead of his time, along with the [Bill] Shanklys of this world.

"I was fortunate to have grown up with Celtic and I was aware of what he did and the background to it. But to come in to the club and see it all first-hand, to see what he achieved, his philosophy and how he managed players, is great. He also managed to inspire those players over 15 years. To strive and have the energy to do that...he was some manager.”

Rodgers attended a commemorative night for the Lisbon Lions which was held in the Kerrydale suite at Celtic Park last month, an event that left such an impression that he called upon the current players to appreciate the magnitude of the achievement.

Read more: Scottish football should be grateful for Peter Lawwell's influence, says Brendan Rodgers

“They won five trophies that season, playing 60-odd games, a fabulous achievement and I took that back and shared it with our players,” said the Celtic manager. “The will the Lions had to keep going, to keep fighting; it was sensational, really.

“John Clark is here on a daily basis, of course, so I see him all the time and Bobby Lennox occasionally. I sat next to Stevie Chalmers that evening and I’ve met Billy McNeill from time to time. They are the reason I’m here – I’m here because of them, the guys who created this great history. The star at the top of the stadium is down to what they did. Of course, those fellows never had the financial rewards modern footballers get but they’re so rich in everything they’ve done for the club. They were always at the forefront of everything.”

Rodgers’ Celtic side are within two games of levelling the record set by the Lions of 26-games unbeaten at the start of a season. And while Rodgers is reluctant to bury his head in the record books, he is hungry to oversee a Celtic side who deliver success by playing in a certain style.

“I said at the beginning of the season that our appetite and desire to create history is important,” he said. “Celtic is a winning club and winning in the best possible way you can. Sometimes players, especially if they are protected around a big club, just do enough to win.

“For us, from my first day here, it is promoting the philosophy that you win in the best way you can, that you break as many records as you can and win as well as you can. You fight and defend the culture of the club and all these aspects come into it.

“But I never drown under all the stats and what it means. For me it is about preparing the team for the next game, as boring and unromantic as that is. That is the job.”

And while there is inevitable chat about a Treble given that the League Cup and effectively the league are already won, Rodgers has not given any big pep talks to his players about performing a clean sweep this season, opting instead to soak up any of the expectations that surround the club.

Read more: Scottish football should be grateful for Peter Lawwell's influence, says Brendan Rodgers

“I tend to depressurise the players,” he said. “I take the pressure and I have no problem with that. But I depressurise the players in order that they can go and perform. I think there are so many things going on, especially in the modern game where there can be so many things going on – media, social media, everything – we narrow the focus on performance.

“Because the consequence of performing is that you win games and then maybe that brings all the other things you talk about. You think about it bit by bit and we set targets; qualification for the Champions league, done. League Cup, done…nest thing is what? Title. Can we win the title?

“Then there are performance goals in that. Goals we score, goals we concede, can we be ruthless in terms of records that are out there, be the best that we can be. If you do that then everything else happens naturally but don’t worry about the fantasy side of it.”