Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers believes his side will be underdogs when they face Zenit St Petersburg in their Europa League tie but says they will give everything to try and cause an upset.

The multi-million pound Russian side, managed by Roberto Mancini, flew into Glasgow on Wednesday ahead of the first leg and Rodgers says they travel with the weight of expectation as most would expect them to progress.

Celtic dropped into the competition after finishing third in their Champions League group but Zenit have impressed in the Europa League, scoring more goals than any other side in the group stage.

"In terms of the standings of both teams across Europe, it would be fair to say that they would obviously be favourites," Rodgers said.

"People within football will probably look at it and see Zenit as the team who would be favourites to go through.

"We have to be realistic as always. We know where we stand in relation to some of the superpowers and finances at this level.

"There are some great teams in the Europa League and the nature of the competition means it is very difficult for us, and like the Champions League, we are going to be tested to the limits in terms of where we are at in comparison to the other teams.

"But it is a really exciting challenge.

"We have got our reward by getting through the group stage and hopefully we can perform very well and get a result."

Rodgers acknowledged the financial gap between the sides and said that the only way to address it was to hit European targets season after season to build on prize money. However, he said that long-term plan didn't mean his side couldn't achieve against the odds in the short term.

"It is always going to be difficult for Scottish teams," he said. "First and foremost, for us, our task here is to always win the league to gain entry into qualification for Champions League and then that allows you to have greater funds in order to build your club.

"So unless something magical happens and there is a huge financial input to the club then of course it will always be a challenge for us. But it is still one we have to enjoy.

"It shouldn't stop any hope of us always wanting to cause an upset.

"We have had some tough games in Europe over the last couple of season and we wouldn't swap them for anything."