"We just know...": Celtic history maker issues Ibrox battle cry as he delivers stark warning to title rivals
Celtic have been told to remember they are the champions when they visit Rangers this weekend.
Celtic midfielder Luke McCowan has reminded the club’s title rivals they are still the team to beat in the Scottish Premiership and urged his teammates to prove it in this weekend’s derby with Rangers at Ibrox.
The 28-year-old fired home the game’s only goal on his first start since early January, shooting Celtic into the lead after just 28 seconds before a dogged defensive display helped them defeat Stuttgart 1-0 in the Europa League playoff second leg on Thursday night.
Having trailed 4-1 from last week’s first leg at Celtic Park, his goal at the MHP Arena was not enough to stop Martin O’Neill’s men bowing out of Europe. However, having made history by chalking up their first-ever victory on German soil, McCowan says he and his teammates must use the morale-boosting victory as a springboard for the rest of the campaign - starting against Rangers this weekend.
“We need to go there with the confidence from tonight,” McCowan said. “But we know it's going to be a hectic atmosphere, a lot of pressure on the game for both teams especially. We just know we've got enough in that dressing room and we need to go in with the right attitude and the right hunger.
"The main thing for us now is the league. We have to put full focus to Sunday and the games remaining. It's nice to have that kind of memento of not winning in Germany before, but that won't matter at the end of the season. We want the title in our hands. We just need to keep that in mind.
“I guess you want a good performance that can lead to a good result. We know if we're at it, no team in that league touches us. We need to have that mentality going in. As Celtic players, we need to know we're champions still until we lose it. Right now, we've not lost it, so we need to have that mentality.
The former Dundee captain was one of eight changes made against Die Roten, and having made a positive impact during his 68 minutes on the field, McCowan is hoping he has done enough to convince Celtic manager O’Neill that he deserves a place in his starting XI against the Gers.
”As a squad rotation player yourself, you need to be chapping on the door as constantly as you can,” admitted McCowan. “Especially if the team isn't performing and you're not within that. You need to do your best to get yourself in, but you don't get yourself in with your words. It's actions that matter. It's goals and assists and good performances. I hope I've done that tonight.
“That was my first start in a wee while as well, and I've got that ability to go and play at this level. I just need to go and show that with games like this. Going and scoring obviously helps my case, but as I said, it will not matter nothing if we don't go there on Sunday and get a good performance in that leads to good results. I think it's all about the reaction, really.
“We obviously had a disappointing result in performance at the weekend, and you had to show up tonight with, as I said, the right attitude, even though the game was an aggregate 4-1 down. Now we just need to build on that.”
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