Neil Lennon has a useful variety of players to call upon, but that does not save him from awkward dilemmas.

As much as any consideration, it is the Celtic manager's ambition that is a pressing concern. A Scottish Communities League Cup tie against Raith Rovers should be an opportunity to deploy some of the fringe members of his squad, but Lennon cannot bring himself to be selective in his priorities.

He is merely being mindful, since the culture of the Old Firm is to seek complete dominance. Every trophy has to be won. Even so, the competitive spirit of Lennon would not be comfortable with making wholesale changes to the side. There is some relief, for instance, that Scott Brown can be rested and Joe Ledley or Biram Kayal brought back into the side to replace him.

Fitness is being recovered at a timely moment. Celtic have a deep squad, but a cluster of injuries can still cause anxiety. Only Brown and Victor Wanyama have been available in central midfield in recent weeks, and the former is having to manage a hip injury that is a recurring concern.

Younger players are seeking prominence, too, but pillars of the side will remain in place. The wariness is not solely about respect, since Raith knocked Ross County out in the last round of the competition. Other SPL sides fell at the same stage, including the holders, Kilmarnock, and Lennon has no wish to gather regrets at such an early point of the season.

"I don't want to abuse the tie – I want to make sure we get through to the next round," the Celtic manager said. "I watched [Raith] against Partick in the Ramsdens Cup and for 45 minutes they coped pretty well but Thistle found a real purple patch in the second-half. We had them watched again at the weekend, so I'm going to put a pretty strong team out. If it does go wrong I don't want people to point the finger at the fact we were taking it lightly, because that's far from what we want to do."

Lennon appreciates the traditions at Celtic Park. Rangers are not currently of any relevance to his side, but the Old Firm clubs have become accustomed to measuring success by the extent of their trophy hauls. A mood of aspiration needs to be constantly maintained.

His own managerial career, too, is being defined, and every triumph is significant to his reputation. He will not disregard the League Cup, for instance, as his team have lost in the final in the previous two seasons. To Lennon, that will feel like a setback that still needs to be addressed.

"If you take your eye off the ball in these competitions you'll get punished, particularly early in the season," he said. "I'm not looking for any mistakes or mishaps. We'll show them plenty of respect. We want to win every competition we're in, especially on the domestic front.

"We've made the last two finals and been pretty consistent in the cup competitions. I just want to maintain that standard. You get really greedy. You try to breed that winning mentality in players, whatever competition they're playing in."

Progress brings welcome complications. Following tonight's League Cup tie at Celtic Park, Lennon's side travel to face Motherwell, the Clydesdale Bank Premier League leaders, on Saturday, then make the journey to Russia to meet Spartak Moscow in the Champions League in seven days. The demands are challenging, and pitfalls can always await.

Members of the Raith Rovers team that defeated Celtic in the 1994 League Cup final were at Ibrox yesterday, the venue for that final 18 years ago while Hampden was being redeveloped. It was a glorious and historical occasion for the Kirkcaldy side, but the trauma continues to be felt at Celtic Park, too.

"Losing any final to any opposition is a sore one to take, especially on penalties as it was in 1994," Lennon added. "That makes it even worse, especially when you go in as pretty heavy favourites. Looking back on our cup final last year, there wasn't an awful lot we did wrong apart from putting the ball in the net. It just wasn't to be but that just makes you more determined to come back this year and get it right."

Lennon needs to be astute in his decision-making. There is value in granting time on the pitch to Efe Ambrose, the recently-signed defender, and continuing the development of young striker, Tony Watt. Ledley and Kayal, too, are vital figures. Managers tend to succeed when they learn how to make best use of their resources.