It Is Not Arrogance That Has Celtic Fans Eager For Sunday But Justified Confidence.

Sevco social media thinks we are arrogant.

But then, Sevco social media also believes in the Great Conspiracy Of The Unseen Fenian Hand, so maybe we shouldn’t be too surprised at what else they imagine out there in their bizarre wee world. On this one, I feel the need to correct them.

Be honest guys and gals, how many times have we all watched the Celtic Park mauling we gave their team? It’s at least twenty for me. I’ve watched much of the Ibrox game more than couple of times as well, mostly to remind myself of how good we were, how composed we were, how comfortable we were in many ways that day.

And I’ve watched the highlights of the game at the weekend a bunch of times too.

That might be as close to a complete performance as we’ve seen under Ange, and his after match comments about how we are “peaking at the right time” should scare the living daylights out of those who will have to face this rampaging team of his come Sunday.

It is not arrogance to have watched this team and believe it to be the best in the country.

It is not arrogant to think that having beaten them the last twice on two different pitches that we’re well placed to do it a third time on yet another surface, and one where we have a happy recent history.

It is not arrogance to think that if we turn up and play our game and don’t let the noise of the occasion derail us that we will emerge with a place in the final.

It is confidence. Justified confidence.

We have so many options and so much firepower in our side that it’s impossible to guess what the team might be or where the goals might come from. Which means it’s going to be equally difficult for their wet-mop manager to set up a team to counter us. With Helander out their defensive options are limited. If Lundstram is not fit what then?

They will be heartened from the fact that Roofe scored some goals at the weekend, but he was facing a demoralised defence and a team which couldn’t string too passes together.

On Sunday he faces the best defensive line in the country, and one which dealt with him quite comfortably at Ibrox.

Likewise, Ramsey thinks he will breeze about the pitch … but when he came up against us he scored early but once we settled Callum had him in his pocket until he was taken off. He has done nothing of genuine note since signing in the January window.

Theirs is a team which is surrounded by hype, much of it utterly unjustified. We are not built on hype. We are a team which is more than capable of delivering on all the promises, under the utmost pressure, and on Sunday we’ll roll into Hampden feeling like a team that knows if it does its job that it will emerge from the game with a win.

There’s nothing arrogant about it.

Our self belief is based on the evidence of what’s in front of us; a league table, the League Cup, our results, our performances and the players the manager has at his disposal.

That’s why every Celtic fan is counting down the days to the game.