Brendan Rodgers hopes Celtic can progress to become a Champions League last 16 team in the next two to three years.

The Scottish champions face Borussia Monchengladbach in Germany needing to win to realistically have any chance of progression from Group C.

Rodgers' men were dealt a blow with Leigh Griffiths, Jozo Simunovic and Kolo Toure all forced to stay at home due to a combination of illness and injury.

And while the club have taken one point from their opening three group games, the manager feels they can learn and reach greater heights in years to come.

Asked if he could see Celtic becoming a last-16 side in that time period, Rodgers said: "I would hope so yes,"

"That's the process we're beginning.

"This is what this experience of this competition has given us - the chance to build towards that.

"The huge improvement that's been made domestically is a huge credit to the players and how well they've worked and how hard they've worked. And it's step by step.

"They've arrived into this level, in the toughest group in the competition and of course it's been difficult for them. We don't see it as a threat.

"It's a major challenge for us but it's a great challenge to have.

"Each year we can arrive here we can improve on it and hopefully get to the latter stages consistently.

"Let's see how the next game goes and take it from there."

After two seasons away from Europe's top club competition, Rodgers admits keeping the squad together over a period of time will be a tricky task as he aims to build away from the domestic scene.

He added: "It's also the job within the club that we can have this pipeline of players, if we lose one or two that we're ahead of the game and ensuring we can replace them.

"It'll always be the nature that, no matter how great Celtic is as a football club and the great support and playing for Celtic being the great privilege it is, there's other factors in football that will sometimes take players away and you can't blame a player.

"I think you have to be realistic, but the idea is to keep that pipeline of players coming in that if you lose one then that's the job of the structure to help us do that."