Derek McInnes believes his side have a plan on how to avoid another defeat to Celtic but admits Ange Postecoglou's team are one of the best he's ever faced.
The Kilmarnock boss is taking his side to Hampden Park for the Viaplay Cup semi-final on Saturday and will face holders Celtic in a huge clash at the national stadium. It will be the second time in a week the Ayrshire outfit have faced the Scottish Premiership league leaders after a 2-0 defeat at Parkhead at the weekend.
And McInnes, who has tasted defeat on a few occasions at the home of Scottish football, revealed that Postecoglou's version of the Hoops is one of the best he has ever encountered in the dugout. The former Aberdeen boss, however, believes his men can avoid a scenario where Celtic suffocate their play.
He said on Saturday post-match: “I’ve come here to play against various Celtic teams over the years and maybe none as good as this one.
“I don’t want to be disparaging to that team who proved themselves – they were unbelievably relentless. But this Celtic team have a lot of players at the right age with improvement in them.
“There’s a lot of hunger and intensity about them – they don’t let you breathe. They’re two good teams and it would be wrong to say one is better than the other. But look at their bench today – Turnbull, Giakoumakis, Forrest, Abada and O’Riley.
“Their age and energy was quite telling in the last 15 minutes when they cranked it up today. They’ve got a lot of answers but we need to find an answer next week and we’re determined to do that.”
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