Last winter, Ange Postecoglou delivered his first trophy as Celtic boss just months after his appointment had attracted amusement and ridicule.
The silverware arrived in the form of the Premier Sports Cup and it proved a springboard to winning back the title – and also many admirers with a swashbuckling brand of football. That win over Hibernian in the Final at Hampden was celebrated by Celtic fans all over but now it has been reduced to so last year. Because this week the defence of that trophy begins.
First up for the holders is a trip to Dingwall to face Ross County, previously the crime scene for brutal slayings of the Hoops. Goodness, it was almost the venue for broken hearts of Celtic supporters just a few weeks ago when they required two goals with just six minutes remaining of the league match before coming back to cuff County.
Dingwall boss Malky Mackay, possibly still seething after being victim to a ref blunder against Rangers at the weekend, will be hell-bent on taking this scalp of a Glasgow giant. It promises to be an intriguing clash in the Highlands and here’s all you need to know about the tie...
When and where will the game take place?
The game takes place at the Global Energy Arena, Dingwall on Wednesday August 31. Kick-off is at 7.45pm.
What channel is it on?
The action will be shown live on Premier Sports 1. Coverage starts at 7.30pm.
Will there be a live stream?
Subscribers will be able to access a live stream via the Premier Player.
Where else can I follow the action?
You can keep up with all the action right here on dailyrecord.co.uk! We'll be running a live blog with all the pre-match build-up and team news, and every kick of the ball once the action gets underway. After the game, we'll have all the reaction from managers and players, as well as player ratings, talking points and a whole lot more.
READ NEXT