Celtic: Brendan Rodgers hopes Rugby Park trip is one of last on an artificial pitch
- Published
Marley Watkins' goal gave Kilmarnock victory over Celtic in August at Rugby Park
Brendan Rodgers hopes Sunday's trip to Rugby Park is one of last times Celtic have to play on an artificial pitch in the Scottish Premiership.
Kilmarnock, who knocked Celtic out the Viaplay Cup at home in August, aim to install a grass pitch once their new training ground is up and running.
Reports also claim artificial pitches could be banned in the top flight.
"The sooner that is the possibility up here then the better it would be for everyone," Celtic manager Rodgers said.
"It's a constant conversation. It's clear that every coach would want to play, I'm pretty sure, on a grass pitch."
Responding to a report that the SPFL will hold talks in the new year over a potential rule change, Livingston manager David Martindale claimed that moving from plastic to grass could cost his club £2.5m.
"I understand the economics of it all and what it would mean for some clubs," Rodgers said. "But there should be a certain level or a certain standard of which every team, if you are playing in the top flight, should have a grass pitch."
Rodgers' view was echoed by St Mirren counterpart Stephen Robinson, who said: "I hate them with a passion. I understand why clubs use them and understand the financial implications that you're able to use the pitch all year round.
"I think the lower clubs, outside the Premiership, I think yeah 100%. It's the same in Northern Ireland. There's a lot of investment in kids' football and with the weather we suffer from in Scotland and Northern Ireland it makes total sense at the lower levels.
"For a spectacle and across the world, we should, in terms of the football we are trying to play and to raise the standards of Scottish football, I don't think they should be in our top league."
Meanwhile, Rodgers believes his Celtic side are better equipped for Sunday's trip to Ayrshire than they were when losing 1-0 in the League Cup in August.
"Certainly, where the team is at now is a far different place to back then," Rodgers said. "It was probably a good time to play us with players coming in and the challenges we had. It's a different team - the structure and attitude is different."
South Korea striker Oh Hyeon-gyu improved his hopes of playing in the Asian Cup in January after netting two goals in Wednesday's 4-1 win over Hibernian in only his second start under Rodgers.
With Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda in the running for the Japan squad, Rodgers is poised to go into the transfer market for a striker.
"It will depend," he said, when asked about his plans for a new striker in January. "Clearly we are trying to anticipate over the last few months the guys that will go away to the Asian Cup.
"Clearly, if Daizen is away, Kyogo is away and Oh is away, we would have to do something in the market."
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