Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has stressed they have to be at their “absolute best” against Inverness in Saturday’s Scottish Cup final after hearing about the history between the clubs in the competition.

Caley Thistle have knocked Celtic out of the Scottish Cup three times in seven meetings this century and the Hoops needed to come from behind in two of their triumphs.

Inverness beat Celtic 3-1 at Parkhead as a First Division club in the first encounter between the teams in February 2000 in a result that cost John Barnes his job as manager.

They also beat Martin O’Neill’s side in 2003 four days after the Hoops had won at Anfield on their way to the UEFA Cup final.

Ronny Deila also fell foul of Caley Thistle in the 2015 semi-finals in a result that cost Celtic the chance of a treble.

When told some people were predicting a walkover when the Scottish champions face a side who finished fifth in the cinch Championship, Postecoglou told Celtic TV: “The people at this club don’t tell me about that, they tell me about the past results against them, which makes you realise that if you are not on it on the day you can be beaten and there’s consequences to that.

“I can assure you that no-one in the building here is going into it with anything other than the approach that we have to be at our absolute best on the day.”

Caley Thistle have only played once since their semi-final win over Falkirk, losing to Ayr on May 5 in a late defeat which cost them a place in the Premiership play-offs.

“It’s a bit of a weird one for them, they won’t have had a game for close to a month by the time the cup final comes around,” Postecoglou said. “I’m sure they have been working away and had bounce games when they can.

“It’s a different opponent for us but, irrespective, it’s a cup final. Who the opponent is becomes secondary to the fact that you know you need to perform on the day and if you do there is a massive reward at the end of it.”

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou believes his players have become conditioned to the constant demands for success.

Captain Callum McGregor lifted the cinch Premiership trophy on Saturday after a 5-0 win over Aberdeen rounded off a season in which Celtic collected 99 points and scored a post-war club-record 114 league goals.

Postecoglou has now claimed four of five domestic trophies available since arriving from Japan in the summer of 2021 and he can follow in the footsteps of Jock Stein, Martin O’Neill, Brendan Rodgers and Neil Lennon by clinching the treble with Scottish Cup victory over Inverness on Saturday.

“From the moment I arrived, I think I have said many times, coming off a trophyless season, we could not go another year without winning something,” he said.

“From the first day I arrived, irrespective of what happened at the start of the season, I made it clear to the boys that expectation is always there.

“That will never change. Whether you are winning or not winning, expectation at this football club is you have success every year.

“I think the players have become conditioned to that. They train like that every day, they behave like that. Callum is pushing them like that every day. You can’t have an off day. You can’t have an off season.”

Postecoglou is already thinking about how he can improve Celtic next season.

“You can’t stand still in this game,” he said. “It changes very quickly. It’s fine margins between having success again and not being successful.

“And more than that, this team’s going to improve. Most of the key players in this team, you can see them improving.

“All the the ones who joined last year have had better years this year than last year, and the ones who stayed, Callum and Greg Taylor and Tony Ralston, all those guys, have all come on, and had better years this year.

“That tells me there’s more improvement. There has to be.”

Aberdeen manager Barry Robson will try to make sure his side compete better with Celtic next season but he sensed Saturday’s game would be difficult given the occasion and the fact his side had achieved their goal of finishing third in the league three days earlier.

Robson, whose side will be guaranteed European group stage football if Celtic win the cup, said: “We’re going to try our best in every department and be as good as we can possibly be.

“We know the differences in finance between teams in the league.

“I’ve played for teams challenging the Old Firm and I’ve played for the Old Firm myself, so I know how difficult it is.

“But we need to be as good an Aberdeen team as we can be, which we’ve done, and also perform well in Europe.

“We need Celtic to do us a turn at Hampden next week.

“That wasn’t our fight. Our fight was getting to third. But we want to make it a fight.”

Ange Postecoglou savoured Celtic’s title party but insisted he needed no reinforcement of what his Parkhead role brings him.

The 57-year-old is reported to be high on Tottenham’s wanted list as they search for a new manager but Postecoglou remains focused on winning the treble with Celtic ahead of next weekend’s Scottish Cup final against Inverness.

Celtic warmed up in style with a 5-0 win over Aberdeen before collecting the cinch Premiership trophy.

“I don’t need any reinforcement, I feel it every day,” Postecoglou said. “I know it’s a special football club and I have had wonderful support from day one.

“I am enjoying it, I love being part of this football club but also I take the responsibility I hold very seriously.

“Days like today are about enjoying them, appreciating the great people I have got around me, the staff and my own family.

“These days are ones where you get the chance to appreciate what you have got. It’s a special day, we do trophy days well.”

There were moments of concern for Celtic when two-goal Kyogo Furuhashi limped off after being hurt in a 50-50 with Aberdeen goalkeeper Kelle Roos, and then when Alistair Johnston went off after pulling up on his comeback from a lower-leg knock.

When asked about the Japan international, who played through a hamstring injury in last season’s League Cup final, Postecoglou said: “Too early to tell. I don’t think it’s anything serious. We will see how it settles down but at this stage, being a cup final, he has done a cup final on one leg before, mate, so unless both his legs are out then I think he has a chance.

“Ally just felt it lock up. To be honest, I didn’t think we would get 90 out of Ally anyway. He was brilliant when he was out there and, again, we will have to assess it obviously, but talking to the medicos and watching them jump around in the dressing room, they all seem like they will be okay.”

A header from Carl Starfelt ensured Celtic broke their post-war club record for goals scored in a league campaign – set by the Lisbon Lions in 1967 – and Oh Hyeon-gyu’s double took them to 114.

“I’m really proud of that because it’s kind of what my football is all about,” Postecoglou said.

“It’s how I want my teams to play. I set my teams up to win but also to hopefully entertain and excite the fans.

“The players have done that this season, they have been relentless. The sheer volume of goals come from the fact that even a day like today there was never any thought at 3-0 or even 4-0 to relax at all. They wanted to make every minute of the game count.”

Postecoglou had earlier made another reference to Michael Beale’s comments in January that he was a “lucky man” because of the money he had to spend.

Addressing the fans on the pitch, he said: “We’re champions again because of this incredible group of players, brilliantly led by our skipper Callum McGregor.

“Champions again because of this unbelievable group of people working behind the scenes, the staff. Outstanding.

“Champions again because of you. In the words of the immortal Tommy Burns you are always there. Always.

“Champions again because I am a lucky man. And we’ve got one more to go. We never stop.”

Aberdeen had sealed third spot in midweek but manager Barry Robson was expecting more from his side.

“I am angry,” he said. “It looks like it was a game too far for us. I think we’ve really squeezed what we could out of the group and after all the emotions of Wednesday night we got more tired and tired as the game went on.

“Obviously, we had boys pulling cramp, hamstrings, Ross McCrorie had to come off. All these things. But it’s still a reminder to the players that I’ll not accept that. I’m not accepting that.

“For as good as they’ve been, and the praise they’ve had, next season we need to be better than that.”

He later added: “As frustrated as I am right now, the way I am as a person, I’ve still got to remember how good they’ve been. I think the fans will remember that as well.”

Celtic turned on the style in their final league game but the title party was tinged with concern for the fitness of Kyogo Furuhashi and Alistair Johnston after the pair went off injured in a 5-0 win over Aberdeen.

Furuhashi went off after scoring twice in five first-half minutes to consolidate his place at the top of the cinch Premiership goalscoring charts.

The Japan international came off worse in a 50-50 with Aberdeen goalkeeper Kelle Roos and limped off five minutes into the second half despite initially trying to play on.

Johnston was making his comeback from the heavy leg knock he suffered during Celtic’s Scottish Cup semi-final win over Rangers and he went down holding his leg before making way in the 64th minute.

After collecting one point from the three games since clinching the title, Ange Postecoglou had picked 11 players that have a good chance of starting next Saturday’s final against Inverness, barring injury and the possible return of the suspended Daizen Maeda.

Celtic returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion as Carl Starfelt notched his first goal at Parkhead and substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu grabbed a double before the team collected the Premiership trophy.

The champions emerged to a guard of honour from Aberdeen, who clinched third place and a European spot in midweek and will be guaranteed group-stage football if Celtic win the cup.

Postecoglou, who was named Scottish Football Writers’ manager of the year earlier in the day, will join Jock Stein, Martin O’Neill, Brendan Rodgers and Neil Lennon in becoming a treble-winning Celtic manager if that happens and a full-stadium fan display referenced the club’s history before the game.

Huge images of Stein and Willie Maley filled both ends of Celtic Park with a banner declaring ‘stand on the shoulders of giants’.

Liel Abada made a lively start, before making way for James Forrest at half-time, and Celtic looked to have rediscovered the intensity missing since they won the title at Tynecastle.

Furuhashi missed two chances and Starfelt saw a header well saved by Roos before Greg Taylor’s pass set the forward up to finish into the top corner in the 27th minute.

The PFA Scotland player of the year soon scored his 27th Premiership goal of the season – three ahead of Hearts skipper Lawrence Shankland and Motherwell striker Kevin van Veen, who still has one game left.

Roos spilled Callum McGregor’s curling effort and Furuhashi reacted quickest to knock the rebound home.

Furuhashi was not far over from a tight angle before his chances of a hat-trick were ended by injury.

Celtic continued to dominate. Matt O’Riley hit the post, Jota was just wide with an acrobatic flick and Reo Hatate came close before Starfelt headed home O’Riley’s corner in the 78th minute.

Oh headed home four minutes later from Jota’s cross before doubling his tally in the last minute after the Portuguese winger had struck the bar with a free-kick.

Barry Robson has demanded that his Aberdeen players do not even think about taking it easy at Celtic Park on Saturday even though they have achieved their objective.

The Dons sealed third place in the cinch Premiership – and likely European group-stage football next term – by beating St Mirren 3-0 on Wednesday so they have little to play for other than personal pride when they visit the champions.

Robson is adamant there is no chance of him allowing his team to slip into holiday mode for their final match of the campaign.

“The players deserve a huge amount of credit for how they have performed but the message was made clear in training that the season isn’t over yet,” he said.

“We’ve got a huge game to come. The sign of a good team is being able to go right to the very end and we need to go to the very end because Celtic Park is one of the hardest places you’ll ever go to play football, especially against an Ange Postecoglou team who are relentless in the way they play.

“They have got a cup final to come afterwards so I’m sure all their players will be at it. They’ve been phenomenal this season but we need to go down there and be brave and be right at it. If we do that, we have a chance.”

Robson will be forced into two changes as on-loan Hoops defender Liam Scales is ineligible to face his parent club, while striker Bojan Miovski was carried off injured on Wednesday and will see a specialist on Monday.

Beyond that, Robson is of no mind to tinker with his team too much as he wants to ensure Aberdeen have a chance of finishing with a win.

“No,” he said when asked if he was planning to mix his team up. “We’re going down to the best team in the country.

“You can’t take that lightly because they’ve got some real top players. We need to go down there and put a performance on. We’re there to represent Aberdeen Football Club so we need to make sure we’re at it.

“I’ve been in this game far too long and you can’t take a game lightly. I’m not a big believer in playing friendlies either. Every game means something.”

Robson refused to be drawn on reports this week suggesting the Dons were close to agreeing a deal to sign on-loan Liverpool midfielder Leighton Clarkson on a permanent deal, insisting he would not comment on any transfer until it was officially confirmed.

Asked how much of a rebuild he anticipates this summer, Robson said: “We’re the same as anyone else.

“Every manager will be busy with players coming in and going out. It’s the same at every club but hopefully we can take some good players in that can help us.”

Ange Postecoglou claims the demands that come with being Celtic manager will ensure there is no time when the motivation dips.

Postecoglou has been installed as the favourite to take over as Tottenham manager with most bookmakers – alongside former Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers – after reported Spurs target Arne Slot pledged his future to Feyenoord.

Reports in England claim the former Australia head coach has become a primary target for the Premier League club but the situation is not new to Postecoglou after a season of speculation.

Speaking ahead of getting the cinch Premiership trophy after Saturday’s game against Aberdeen, Postecoglou said of the reports: “I’m aware of it because everyone keeps asking me about it.

“It’s happened in the past, I have been pretty clear it’s just not the way I think and work.

“My priority right now is just making sure we have a special day on Saturday and we have a cup final coming up in a week’s time.

“I’m not going to sit there and get distracted by things that are kind of fascinating for other people rather than myself.

“That’s where my focus is and where it will continue to be. We have had a fantastic season and we have an opportunity to make it a really special one.”

Celtic will win the treble if they beat Inverness in the Scottish Cup final but Postecoglou will quickly move on to the next challenge rather than thinking he has done it all.

“That doesn’t really change,” he said. “There is always stuff to achieve. As a football club we have the responsibility to deliver success and play football a certain way.

“Just because we won the double last year doesn’t mean we came into this year thinking, okay, we don’t have to be as strong. We had to be stronger.

“The challenge is always there, irrespective of what we have achieved so far.

“And if ever you kind of lose that focus then you probably find yourself out of a job because that’s the demands this football club places on the people who represent it.

“We have a chance to win a cup final and make it a special year and next year we all start on zero again and the opportunity is there to try and improve and be stronger for what’s ahead.”

Celtic have only taken one point from three games since clinching the title and Postecoglou is keen to ensure they put on a show before lifting silverware.

“It’s a special day, it makes it all real when you get that trophy and get the chance to lift it, you’re champions,” he said.

“We want to make it a great day in terms of enjoying every aspect of it including the game itself.

“The boys are determined to put on a good performance and hopefully make it a great afternoon.

“We have had a couple of poor performances and results and whilst there have been reasons for that, me being the person responsible for it by changing the team, it doesn’t mean the players aren’t disappointed that they haven’t been able to perform to the levels they want.

“Saturday is the last opportunity we get to do it in the league so we are going in there to play with the same sort of intensity and tempo that we usually do.”

Right-back Alistair Johnston is set for a comeback from injury but Aaron Mooy and Sead Haksabanovic will miss out.

On Johnston, who suffered a leg knock in the Scottish Cup semi-final against Rangers, Postecoglou said: “He is good to go. He will play on Saturday and if he gets through that then we will see for the cup final.

“Aaron Mooy is still struggling with a back complaint so he will miss out and is probably a doubt for cup the final.

“Sead, who came off the other night, is not as bad as we thought. He will miss Saturday but we think he has a good chance for the cup final which is good for him and good for the group.”

Callum McGregor is adamant there should be no panic about Celtic’s recent form dip as he vowed that the champions will rediscover their focus in time for the Scottish Cup final against Inverness.

The Hoops have won only two of their last six games in league and cup and have taken just one point from their three matches since securing the cinch Premiership title with victory away to Hearts earlier this month.

Their latest setback came on Wednesday when they lost 4-2 away to Hibernian. McGregor admits Celtic may have “subconsciously” taken their eye off the ball after wrapping up the championship but he is unfazed by the past few results.

“No, you have to put it into context,” said the captain when asked if he was worried.

“If anyone is trying to pick holes in the group for whatever reason, you just have to look at what we did up to winning the title.

“It’s been outstanding, very minimal mistakes and hardly any dropped points.

“There have been massive winning streaks, we’ve shown hunger, desire, everything.

“So of course we are disappointed with the post-split fixtures and results, we haven’t reached that level. But up until becoming champions, we were outstanding, so it’s difficult to be hard on the group.

“Yes, we want to maintain as high a standard as possible but sometimes in football it doesn’t quite work like that.”

Celtic finish their league campaign at home to Aberdeen on Saturday before attempting to seal a domestic treble a week later when they face cinch Championship side Inverness in the Scottish Cup final.

McGregor is adamant his team will be ready for the Hampden showpiece.

“The last few games haven’t been great but I have no doubt, I am full of belief,” he said.

“We have a big game on Saturday and it’s a chance to celebrate the title, and for the supporters to celebrate an unbelievable season in the league.

“We already have a cup in the bag and after Saturday, full focus switches to the final.

“I have no doubt that we will be ready to go for Hampden.

“We have a good track record of coming through the big games and the big moments.

“We have been strong as a group and that gives us the confidence that we will be ready to go for the final.

“We have a real chance to celebrate on Saturday and hopefully that will give everyone a lift.”

Lee Johnson believes Hibernian’s 4-2 victory over Celtic helps prove that he has not been all talk when discussing his “dream” for the Edinburgh club.

The Englishman has spoken bullishly about having the Hibees competing at the top end of Scottish football on a consistent basis since taking charge a year ago.

Although his team have struggled for consistency in his first season at the helm, they have delivered big wins over Aberdeen, Hearts and now Celtic, while also taking a point off Rangers.

Wednesday’s victory over the Hoops guaranteed that Hibs will finish at least fifth in the Premiership – a position that will be enough to qualify for the Europa Conference League if Celtic beat Inverness in the Scottish Cup final – while they have the chance to leapfrog city rivals Hearts into fourth by winning this Saturday’s Edinburgh derby at Tynecastle.

“It’s not just about confidence for this weekend, it’s about the future,” Johnson said when asked about the effect of the win over Celtic. “I feel like I’ve been selling this dream and at times we’ve fallen a bit short of delivering it but at times we’ve also proved it.

“The Hearts game at home here was a big result, Aberdeen away even though we drew, Aberdeen at home. We can compete against these guys and that belief has to build.

“The belief in us, the belief in me, the belief in the players, the belief that the fans will stick by us when we are one or two goals down because we can genuinely come back.

“Our next step is to obviously try and secure Europe. We get an opportunity to do that on Saturday and if that doesn’t come to the fore we hope Celtic can do us a favour by winning the cup.”

Hibs became only the third Scottish team to defeat Celtic this term after Rangers and St Mirren also achieved the feat. Johnson believes victories over the Glasgow sides are essential for his team to progress.

“I’ve harped on about getting closer to the Old Firm, taking points off them, and every point you get against those teams is almost like a point and a half in terms of how much it counts for because the others don’t get them,” he said.

“St Mirren have had some really good wins and performances against the Old Firm this year and it makes a difference.

“We have to compete. This club deserves to be competitive in these games and budgets are what, eight or nine times what ours are?

“But that doesn’t mean you can’t get an organised, motivated, hungry, talented XI plus subs out on the pitch and I think you saw that against Celtic.”

Hibs lost both CJ Egan-Riley and Joe Newell to injury against Celtic, and both will be assessed ahead of the Hearts game.

“CJ is struggling,” said Johnson. “It looks like he’s done his hamstring. Joe Newell is looking more likely to be available.”

Ange Postecoglou insists he will carry the can for Celtic’s recent dip in form after Wednesday’s 4-2 defeat away to Hibernian made it three games without a win for the cinch Premiership champions.

The Hoops’ cause was not helped by the fact they had Daizen Maeda sent off while they led 2-1 at Easter Road, but the manager – who made six changes to his starting line-up – believes his tinkering is the main reason his side have lost their way since wrapping up the title earlier this month.

“We love to live in the moment and everyone is sort of making assessments on what is happening right now,” said Postecoglou. “That’s fine.

“Most of that is on me, to be honest. I am the one making five or six line-up changes every week. That’s hurting the side and there’s no doubt about that, but I’m doing it for a reason and that has affected our level of performance.

“Until the sending off, I thought we were in a good position. Aside from that, as I said, that’s my responsibility. I’ll take that. That’s the decisions I’ve made. In the last three weeks, they haven’t been to be benefit of the team.”

Celtic goalkeeper Scott Bain, who was handed a rare start, was badly at fault for Hibs’ last two goals, scored by Elie Youan and Paul Hanlon.

“It is disappointing for him and that is the life of a goalkeeper as he was having a good game up until that point,” said Postecoglou. “It is just one of those moments and I don’t know when the last time he played was.

“These guys are out there and in many respects it is not fair on them as I am putting these guys in and that would be okay if there were one or two changes but I’m making five or six changes a game and that is hard on the guys coming in, I totally get that.

“That’s just the way I do things as I like to throw guys out there and it is a sink or swim mentality, but we provide the support and give them the feedback to be better.

“It is unfortunate for him because it was looking like a good night for him.”

Forward Sead Haksabanovic went off injured in the first half and is now a doubt for the Scottish Cup final against Inverness.

“I’ll wait and see what the medical team say but with the cup final is 10 days away and it could be tough for him,” said Postecoglou.

Hibs boss Lee Johnson hailed his side for going “toe to toe” with the champions as they set up a final-day shootout for fourth-place with city rivals Hearts at Tynecastle on Saturday.

“It was a fantastic win and a big three points against a top team,” he said.

“The fans deserved that, it was nice to send them home happy.

“That wasn’t a smash-and-grab win. We went toe to toe with the champions.”

Hibernian came from behind to defeat 10-man Celtic 4-2 at Easter Road and set up a final-day shootout with city rivals Hearts for fourth place in the cinch Premiership.

The champions led 2-1 before substitute Daizen Maeda’s red card midway through the second half paved the way for Lee Johnson’s side to fight back and claim a crucial victory in their quest for European football, with Hoops keeper Scott Bain badly at fault for the hosts’ last two goals.

The win ensures Hibs can finish no lower than fifth place – which will be enough for a crack at continental competition if Celtic beat Inverness in the Scottish Cup final – and they now have the opportunity to end the campaign on the ultimate high by pipping Hearts to fourth if they win at Tynecastle on Saturday.

For Celtic, it was a third game in a row without a victory since they secured the title earlier this month.

There were two changes to the Hibs side that started Sunday’s defeat by Rangers as Josh Campbell and Chris Cadden were replaced by Jake Doyle-Hayes and Lewis Miller.

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou opted to make six changes to the team that was held 2-2 by St Mirren at the weekend as goalkeeper Bain, Yuki Kobayashi, Alexandro Bernabei, Sead Haksabanovic, Hyeongyu Oh and Liel Abada all came into the starting line-up.

The first half was a lively affair with plenty chances at both ends. But it was Celtic who went in a goal ahead at the break when Reo Hatate calmly converted a 41st minute penalty after Callum McGregor was wiped out by a late challenge from Lewis Stevenson moments after the Celtic captain had failed to get a clean connection on a cut-back from substitute Maeda, who had replaced the injured Haksabanovic in the 22nd minute.

Hibs sent on Campbell for James Jeggo at the start of the second half and they got themselves back into the game.

They signalled their intent when Kevin Nisbet saw a firm low angled shot blocked by Bain in the 50th minute. And two minutes later Elie Youan volleyed home a stunning equaliser from just inside the box after Campbell’s cross from the right was headed out by Anthony Ralston.

Parity lasted only six minutes, however, as Oh capitalised on some slack defending from the hosts to fire home a loose ball from close range.

Celtic suffered a game-changing blow in the 67th minute when Maeda was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Will Fish.

It looked like the hosts were also going to be reduced to 10 men just three minutes later when Doyle-Hayes was red carded for a cynical trip on Oh but it was downgraded to a yellow following a VAR review.

The Hibees took full advantage of this reprieve and Nisbet equalised with a penalty in the 75th minute after Miller was grappled in the box by Ralston following a Doyle-Hayes corner.

Youan then put the Edinburgh side ahead in the 80th minute when he stepped inside Oh and unleashed a 25-yard strike which was fumbled into the net by Bain.

The Celtic keeper was badly at fault again six minutes later when he allowed Paul Hanlon’s header at the back post from a Miller cross to squirm past him.

Celtic have been handed a pre-Hampden boost after Alistair Johnston returned to training.

Johnston has been out since taking a heavy knock to his lower leg during Celtic’s Scottish Cup semi-final win over Rangers on April 30.

The Canada right-back will not feature in Wednesday’s cinch Premiership encounter with Hibernian at Easter Road but is in line to return against Aberdeen on Saturday, seven days before the cup final against Inverness.

Johnston was back in training on Tuesday morning and came through the session with no problems.

Manager Ange Postecoglou said: “All things being equal, if he gets through the rest of the week’s training he should be available for the weekend’s game.

“We will hopefully get him some game time at the weekend and assess it from there.

“He has worked really hard to get back with the cup final in mind. He has got back really well and worked hard with the medical team and looked after himself really well.

“It was good to see him training and good to see him part of it because he has obviously been a big part of the second half of the year.”

Celtic have only taken a point in two games since clinching the title and face a Hibs side who are still battling for a European place.

Postecoglou said: “We just go out there and try to play our football but we know the league is done.

“We can’t lose the league now, unless someone has brought in a new rule. The players are aware of that so I can’t go about pretending, trying to create some alternative universe where they are trying to achieve something they have already achieved.

“But we still want to enjoy our games and prepare for the cup final and the best way to do that is play our football and take each challenge as it comes.

“The players are training well and we want to finish the season strongly.”

Meanwhile, Postecoglou was completely unmoved by news from Rangers that several experienced players will be leaving Ibrox this summer including Allan McGregor and Scott Arfield.

When asked if he expected a tougher title challenge from their rivals next season, he said: “I don’t know why that would even concern me to be honest.

“This time last year Rangers were in a Europa League final and a Scottish Cup final, and they strengthened after the season didn’t they?

“So does anybody really care? Like, seriously. We didn’t start favourites in my first year and probably weren’t overwhelming favourites this year, so people will say what they want, mate. Everyone has got a plan until they are punched on the nose and then you kind of reassess from there.

“When we start next year, when the games start, everyone will see who is really strong and who isn’t strong and all that sort of stuff.

“Right now, league-wise anyway, it’s the equivalent of junk-time, mate, so we just get on with it.”

Callum McGregor is looking to Wednesday’s visit to Hibernian to get back to winning ways following Celtic’s 2-2 draw against spirited St Mirren on Saturday.

The Hoops captain’s late strike secured a point for the cinch Premiership champions against Stephen Robinson’s side who had twice taken the lead at Parkhead.

Buddies forward Curtis Main scored either side of a Kyogo Furuhashi leveller to give the visitors a shock interval lead.

Main could have scored another three times after the break albeit Celtic had chances too before McGregor curled in a shot from the edge of the box in the 81st minute but ultimately, it was two points dropped for Celtic after losing to Old Firm rivals Rangers at Ibrox the previous week.

Ange Postecoglou’s side travel to Easter Road in midweek before the final league game at home to Aberdeen next Saturday with the Scottish Cup final against Championship outfit Inverness at Hampden Park on June 3, where the Parkhead club will look to clinch the domestic treble.

Speaking to Celtic TV, McGregor said: “You think when we get the equaliser we can go and get the winner – we had a couple of good chances but we didn’t put them away.

“We gave ourselves so much work to do when you have to chase the game like that.

“It becomes frantic at that point and you get a bit more uptight and tense in the final third and you maybe lose a little bit of quality.

“The good thing is that you have another game in three days and it gives you a chance to try and rectify the result previously.

“We have to recover now and go full steam for Wednesday and then Saturday.

“We can’t start games like that and give ourselves work to do.

“We need to learn quickly from that and we have three really important games to go and we need to be at it now.”

After losing a late goal to Hearts at home last week, Buddies boss Robinson watched his side get pegged back again for a 2-2 draw.

However, with two games remaining against Aberdeen and Rangers and his sixth-placed side two points behind Hibernian – who host the Ibrox side on Sunday lunchtime – the Northern Irishman has not given up on a European spot.

He said: “We have proved against Hearts, we were 20 seconds from three points.

“We proved against Celtic, we were 2-1 up and creating chances, (that) we shouldn’t fear anybody.

“They are human, they make mistakes and sometimes they play better than others, what I never get is a lack of intensity and effort from a fantastic group of boys.”

Ange Postecoglou told his Celtic players not to “just tick off” the games until the Scottish Cup final after they drew 2-2 with St Mirren at Parkhead.

Curtis Main scored either side of a Kyogo Furuhashi strike to give the visitors a shock interval lead against the cinch Premiership champions.

Main missed a couple of great chances and hit a post before Hoops captain Callum McGregor levelled in the 81st minute to ensure his side avoided a second successive league defeat after the 3-0 loss to Old Firm rivals Rangers.

Celtic face Hibernian away and Aberdeen at home before taking on Championship side Inverness in the cup final at Hampden Park on June 3, where they will look to clinch a domestic treble.

Postecoglou bristled when it was suggested his side had been fortunate against St Mirren, saying: “That’s your opinion, that’s fine. No, I don’t think we were fortunate.”

He added: “If they’re thinking about the cup final now, that’s a problem. Because when you start thinking too far ahead, you miss what’s happening now.

“We can’t have players thinking about performing on that day. Perform today, perform Wednesday, perform next week and then focus on the cup final.

“This group of players have been outstanding. But there is always this thing inside of me that I don’t want them to waste a moment of their career or a game.

“They have done their job and won the title for the second year in a row and they have Champions League football to look forward to. We haven’t lost at home for two years, so it is not me being critical of this group. Far from it.

“I just want them to enjoy their football and make every game count, not just tick them off until we get to the cup final. Why not play some good football for the next couple of games and enjoy it and make sure our fans enjoy it?

“We play in a certain way that requires a full commitment to every aspect of the game and we’ve just gone off it.

“When you look at it, it is not about individuals, it is about the collective. We have been really good at committing to a game plan and a game structure and a discipline and we’ve gone off that.”

Asked if, sub-consciously, an element of switching off was inevitable with the league title won, he said: “That’s probably true but the games are still there. Either you accept that you are going to struggle for the rest of these games or you do something about it.

“I understand that and I get that because they are human beings. We’ve won the title again which is what the ambition was, but there are still games to be played.”

St Mirren beat Celtic 2-0 last September but had suffered three heavy defeats to the Hoops subsequently.

On this occasion manager Stephen Robinson left Celtic Park a “frustrated man”, although, with the Buddies in sixth place, two points behind Hibernian, he is not giving up on a European place.

He said: “I thought the boys were terrific. To be frustrated not to win the game tells you it was a magnificent performance, to a man.

“It’s difficult to ask any more from them. We created chances and we asked the boys to be brave and they were.

“They passed the ball, we kept possession and we created a lot of chances. With two games to go we’re still in the race for Europe.

“Being frustrated not to win at Celtic Park shows what a good group of boys we’ve got and how far we’ve come.”

Captain Callum McGregor rescued Celtic with a late leveller as the Hoops twice came from behind to draw 2-2 with St Mirren in a pulsating encounter at Parkhead.

Buddies boss Stephen Robinson had promised to have a go at the cinch Premiership champions and striker Curtis Main gave the visitors a shock lead after four minutes.

Hoops attacker Kyogo Furuhashi levelled with a powerful drive in the 15th minute only for Main to restore the visitors’ lead five minutes from the interval.

Main should have added to his tally on three occasions after the break and the Buddies were made to pay when McGregor equalised with nine minutes remaining to avoid a successive league defeat after losing 3-0 to Old Firm rivals Rangers last week.

St Mirren beat Celtic 2-0 last September but had suffered three heavy defeats by the Hoops subsequently, although they were well worth their point on this occasion.

It was Celtic’s first home game since they clinched the title against Hearts at Tynecastle two weeks ago and Greg Taylor, Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda came back in, along with Tomoki Iwata who was playing in a more unfamiliar centre-back role in place of Yuki Kobayashi.

Midfielder Keanu Baccus and defender Thierry Small started for the visitors, who got off to a stunning start.

Following a long clearance from Buddies goalkeeper Trevor Carson, a mix-up between Iwata and right-back Anthony Ralston allowed the ball to drop to Main inside the box and he turned inside the latter before shooting low past keeper Joe Hart.

However, the lead evaporated when midfielder Reo Hatate took a pass from Iwata and slipped in Furuhashi to slam the ball high past Carson from 12 yards for his 31st goal of the season.

Hatate soon thundered a shot just over the bar and midfielder Matt O’Riley’s drive deflected off Baccus and almost sneaked in at the near post before Carson turned it behind for a corner which came to nothing.

Saints passed up a great chance when Hart parried Greg Kiltie’s cross straight to Ryan Strain and he knocked it past a post from just a few yards out.

However, there was even more drama moments later when Main headed into the net from eight yards out after latching on to a Mark O’Hara header as Celtic struggled to clear their lines.

After a long VAR check for offside, referee David Munro confirmed the goal put an unusual sheen on Ange Postecoglou’s half-time team talk.

Three minutes after the restart Strain stood a cross up to the back post and Main leapt highest only to head past a post.

Celtic were rattled again but came back and, in the 54th minute, from Jota’s cross, Maeda lifted the ball over the bar from six yards before Main, again, headed a Strain cross wide at the other end.

Maeda prodded the ball wide from close range before O’Reilly, Hatate and Maeda were replaced by Sead Haksabanovic, Liel Abada and Oh Hyeon-gyu as Postecoglou re-energised his side.

The Paisley side were having to hold on, desperately at times but in a breakaway, Main beat Hart with a drive only to see the ball rebound off a post, with Oh striking the goalframe at the other end seconds later.

With time running out for the home side it was McGregor who came to the rescue when he curled the ball past Carson from the edge of the box to cheers of relief, and the Buddies had to withstand late pressure to emerge with a point.

Celtic assistant manager John Kennedy believes last weekend’s tough experience at Ibrox can ultimately be of benefit to some of the younger players in the team.

The likes of Yuki Kobayashi, Alexandro Bernabei and Oh Hyeon-gyu were handed derby starts but were on the wrong end of a 3-0 defeat.

Celtic had already wrapped up the cinch Premiership title and beaten Rangers in both cup competitions but the first derby defeat of the season still stung Ange Postecoglou’s side and supporters.

However, Kennedy believes there was plenty to take from the game which can help treble-chasing Celtic continue to move forward.

“There is learning in every game for us, individually and collectively,” he said.

“If we go out and win 5-0 we will always pick the holes in it and the positives and feed that back to the players as a group and individually.

“It’s the same process when we suffer a defeat or a poor performance. The players are very comfortable with that, they know that.

“But sometimes in terms of going through that tough experience, you do get a lot of learning from that.

“When you are winning every week you get in a mindset and that becomes the norm, and sometimes it just shakes you up a little bit and gives you a reminder that if part of your game is not quite on it or if you don’t attack the game in the right intent, it gives us a reminder.

“Even the way we started the game wasn’t to our normal standards. Rangers came on to us, we lost a lot of duels, missed a lot of passes. And straight away that put us under pressure.

“It’s important for us to always remember that we play a style that we look to impose on the opposition.

“When the game is more challenging, there is certainly more things to look at.

“In hindsight, a lot of the boys will look back at that and learn a lot from that, especially the younger lads, who hopefully will be able to go into the next games and correct some of the errors that happened.”

Celtic had two-thirds of the ball at Ibrox but only one shot on target compared to Rangers’ eight.

Kennedy said: “I think that was Rangers’ strategy, they had two quick players at the top end, they gave up possession at times, but we were probably as wasteful with it as we have been in most of our games.

“In terms of decision-making, execution and the technical side of the game, we missed too many passes and made too many bad decisions.

“And that led to a lot of turnovers and gave Rangers the opportunity to hit us on counter-attacks and catch us when we weren’t quite organised.

“There was certainly a lot to look into on the game. As much as it was a bad result and poor performance, it’s a good reminder for us as a group that we have constantly got to be on it. You can’t drop 10 per cent because we know how much that affects our game.”

Celtic bid to bounce back at home to St Mirren on Saturday and Kennedy is sure there will be an edge to his team’s game, especially with the Scottish Cup final against Inverness to come on June 3.

The former Scotland international said: “There’s always that drive. Players are stimulated by playing for the club and you want to perform in every game. They are competitors and there is always that motivation.

“The fact we have the cup final to go, it gives us that stimulant right through to the end of the season.

“We are not just playing games out, we want to finish as strong as we can and it’s important we get the right form and conditioning going into the cup final because on the day you have to put in a performance that merits the win.”