Celtic winger Liel Abada has talked up the importance of retaining the Premier Sports Cup as the Bhoys prepare to take on Motherwell in the next round.
Having lifted the trophy last campaign, the Hoops are now tasked with winning the competition for the sixth time in the last seven seasons.
Ange Postecoglou‘s side will also be returning to the competition this week as they head to Fir Park looking to secure a place in the semi-finals.
With such a busy fixture schedule over the last few months, small sections of the support are likely to bring up the regular argument of how strong Postecoglou should go when naming his starting line-up in the cup.
Whilst some might disregard the importance of the competition, you would imagine the Celtic manager doesn’t have that same frame of mind ahead of the Motherwell game.
Postecoglou rang the changes in the Hoops second round clash against Ross County. However, the 57-year-old still put out a side more than capable of delivering, as they did, winning 4-1 in Dingwall.
Lifting the trophy last Decemeber was a huge moment for the Celtic manager and his squad, and it won’t be an opportunity they are looking to pass up.
Celtic frontman, Liel Abada, showcased the squad’s attitude to the competition by stating just how important achieving that cup success is
He said [Daily Record]: “This is really important because in the cup if you lose, you don’t get to keep playing. We need to give 100 per cent and be 100 per cent focused to do our job.
“Hopefully, we will win and be in the next round because it is very important to keep the trophy.”
As mentioned, Postecoglou is likely to make a few changes to his side from Saturday’s 6-1 demolishing of Hibernian at Celtic Park.
However, Abada and his teammates are well aware that the full squad will be utilised, and the 21-year-old also praised the goalscoring ability across the board in the Celtic dressing room.
He continued: “We have a very good squad full of very good players. Every player in the team can be in the line-up.
“One game I score, one game Jamesy (Forrest) will score, one game Daizen (Maeda) will score, Giakoumakis, Kyogo, Haksa. This is really good because that is our job.”
Premier Sports Cup success cannot be understated as showcased by Ange and his squad last season.
Although it may seem like the least of Celtic’s concerns at this moment in time, I am sure Ange Postecoglou would also be keen to state the importance of this competition.
The Premier Sports Cup was the former Socceroos boss’s first trophy success at Celtic Park, and it showcased his new-look side’s ability to produce in the cup competitions, which was impressive given how quickly the squad had been put together.
That 2-1 victory at Hampden Park last winter provided this squad with a building block, and they went on to produce an unbelievable unbeaten run, which led to our Scottish Premiership success.
This season’s cup final may be taking place at a later stage in the campaign, but it can still have those same effects as the Bhoys look to make it back-to-back Premier Sports Cup wins.
We face a potentially tricky test away to Motherwell on Wednesday, and with a place in the last four up for grabs, I am sure Postecoglou will have his players right up for the game.
In other news, The Celtic man who showcased his positive development into Ange’s system vs Hibs.
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