Ross County boss Don Cowie has acknowledged that Celtic will be looking to get back on track with a victory in Dingwall following European disappointment…
Brendan Rodgers side have been relentless domestically this season, winning 100% of their eight domestic outings in Scotland. However, Celtic hit a stumbling block with yet another dismal display away from home in Europe on Tuesday evening in the atmospheric Westfalenstadion.
Refocusing on league matters after exerting maximum effort against Europe’s elite has always been a challenging task for Celtic. This is not exclusive to Rodgers. The Staggies will be looking to take advantage of eight days preparation and try to become the first Scottish side to take points off the Hoops this season.
History would point towards a relatively comfortable victory tomorrow considering Celtic have won their last 11 games against the Highlanders. But, County have only been beaten twice in their first seven league encounters. Those defeats came against Rangers at Hampden, and a late Aberdeen winner at the Global Energy Stadium.
Picking points up in the division is slowly but surely becoming a habit for Cowie’s side who haven’t seemed to miss last season’s top scorer Simon Murray. The Staggies earmarked Ronan Hale from Cliftonville as a replacement, and his form has been terrific during his early life with County.
This week, Don Cowie lavished praise on Brendan Rodgers and his opposition for today’s clash, “I just think the way Brendan is, and managing a club like Celtic, you can never feel sorry for yourself. Every game is scrutinised, and I’m sure that they will have been aware that no matter what the result was on Tuesday coming up to us on Sunday is just as important.”
Cowie added, “that’s what makes them so good; they are relentless. They go from playing in front of 80,000 on Tuesday to playing in front of 6,000 on Sunday, but you have to have that mentality to play for Celtic. You always try and give yourself a base to work from, and that’s being solid and secure and not giving anything away for free.”
“Then you have the possibility of getting that goal, which gives you energy and something to hang on to against a top-quality team. There’s also always the possibility that it brings a bit of anxiety to the crowd. We know they travel in big numbers, and they are vocal as a fan base, so it’s important we start well.”
Whilst Celtic have found life easy thus far, this afternoon’s clash could prove to be a tough one. Three points heading into the international break is vital. A response from Germany similar to the one we saw at McDairmid Park last Saturday would be ideal also.
Conor Spence
