Livingston boss David Martindale insists there will be no fatigue in the Celtic ranks when they make the trip to Parkhead tomorrow - because the home side will still be on a high after their performance against Real Madrid on Tuesday night.
The Hoops more than held their own against the European champions, arguably being the better side in the first half before ultimately falling to a 3-0 defeat.
Martindale commented: “If anything they will go out on Saturday with a spring in their step. If I was a Celtic player going to bed on Tuesday night, I would be like, ‘that was incredible’.
“I would be waking up with a smile on my face knowing we just went toe to toe with some of the best players in the world.
“You all want to come out on the right side of a result, it’s not always possible and for me the performance is the big thing. For me Celtic’s performance was more than justified that everyone of them could come off the park with their head held high.”
He added: “I think they had Real Madrid rattled at stages in the first half but I had it in the back of my head that Real would find a way to win the game and they did.
“They have some of the best players in the world and there is a difference.
“I loved the game. I was a Celtic fan on Tuesday, I was a Rangers fan on Wednesday and a Hearts fan last night. I was desperate for Celtic to do well. I can’t remember as a football fan I actually woke up buzzing for a game of football.”
It will be the first time some of his players get to perform in front of such a large crowd, with many of this summer’s arrivals having joined from English lower league clubs.
Martindale says he’s excited to see their reaction and admits trips to Parkhead are part of the sales pitch when recruiting.
He commented: “I look forward to seeing their reaction because it’s probably a selling point when you come to Scotland.
“It’s nice to see my players’ reactions when they go to these fantastic stadiums. I think the Celtic fans will be in good voice on Saturday and they will be buzzing after Tuesday night.
“They should take energy from it because it’s a fantastic place to play football.
“Whatever happens on Saturday, I will be looking at it from a performance point of view, not a results point of view.”
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