Celtic will be keen to continue their early season momentum when Hibernian come to town this Sunday in the Premier Sports Cup.
Last term, Brendan Rodgers lost his only match in the competition across two spells in Glasgow away to Kilmarnock in the Second Round, so there will be motivation from his perspective to ensure his side don’t suffer the same fate.
From a Celtic perspective, the Irishman will reveal more about availability and potential absentees later this week in his press conference. However, with Adam Idah back in the building, you get the impression the Irishman will play a part this weekend.
Hibernian enter the tie after two consecutive Scottish Premiership defeats. They also ended up on the unseeded side of the Premier Sports Cup draw due to a surprise loss against Kelty Hearts in the tournament’s group stage.
David Gray is determined to prove a few people wrong about their start and has delivered a bullish verdict on their chances this weekend.
David Gray on Hibernian’s cup visit to Celtic
Speaking to official Hibernian channels, Gray has urged his team to kick on from last week and believes they can strike a cup shock if they show improvements from last weekend’s clash at Easter Road.
When asked about the dynamics of cup football and whether it can favour his side, he stated: “Definitely, I think that’s something that I’ve been strong with the players (about); right at the very start, when anyone joins this football club, there’s an expectation and a demand and goal-setting of trying to win a trophy.
“That has to be the ultimate aim, you try and win a trophy and finish as high in the league as you can. I think it is a genuine opportunity to do that at this football club. You need to beat the best and we definitely need to go and try and do that at the weekend.
“In a one-off game, especially when you see the magic of the cup, there’s no reason we can’t go there and do that; we just need to make sure we massively improve from where we were last week, we know that, and hopefully that can be enough.”
Celtic will realise the importance of Sunday’s clash
Cup football has added jeopardy, so flying out of the blocks in the early stages against Hibernian will be necessary to assume control of proceedings.
Ultimately, Celtic are taking their bow in the first competition available to win this season. Come the final on December 15th. They will be desperate to be at Hampden with a chance of lifting the trophy.
That starts on Sunday when expectant support will travel to Celtic Park in their numbers, hopeful of a smooth path to the quarter-final.
Last year, we learned that nothing can be taken for granted in these games amid the defeat to Kilmarnock, but the Bhoys are a different animal from early in Rodgers’ second tenure. Hopefully, they can put on an assured performance this weekend and progress to the next round with minimal complications.
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