Luke McCowan has played down the idea that next Saturday’s Scottish Cup final against Aberdeen will be straightforward, despite Celtic hammering the Dons 5-1 at Pittodrie with a much-changed starting XI.
Despite the dominant display on Wednesday, McCowan has warned against any complacency.
The goals came thick and fast once Celtic found their rhythm, but McCowan pointed out that the style of play—controlled, sharp and reactive—was what made the difference.
He said: (RecordSport), “No, it never will be. As you’ve probably saw at the end there, there’s probably a wee bit of bite in the game right at the 90th minute because they know the Cup Final’s coming as well.
“So, listen, it’s a Cup Final. It’s anybody’s game. You just need to show up and I’m sure we’ll have that performance ready and we need to push each other until then to make sure that our mentality is right going into it.
“It wasn’t easy, I would say. You still have to fight and you still have to battle away. I think at times we were probably just ruthless in our play.
“I thought our play was magnificent at times. They went man-for-man press. We were able to go from one side and switch to the other and dominate by doing that.
“As I said, the goals come, the more open the game becomes and it all worked out.”
Brendan Rodgers will likely return to his strongest starting XI for the final, with key players well-rested and several players pushing for a place after strong midweek showings. The Irishman now faces the welcome headache of balancing form with experience at Hampden.
The result at Pittodrie was a clear statement, but Celtic know Aberdeen will be out for revenge and determined to respond.
The intensity and pressure of a cup final will bring a different challenge, and the message from the Celtic dressing room is clear: stay focused and finish the job.
