KRIS DOOLAN believes Partick Thistle have "nothing to fear" ahead of tonight's League Cup quarter-final tie at Celtic Park.
The team from Maryhill have not won in the east end of Glasgow since 1992, but a closely-contested match last season - as well as recent victories at Celtic Park for Morton and Hamilton Academical - gives the striker confidence that Thistle can cause an upset.
"Cup games are notorious; anything can happen," said the 27-year-old. "They're a lot less predictable than league games, so it would be nice if we could go there and get a result. You can't sit back for 90 minutes - you have to have a go at them as you know they'll be doing that to us. We've got nothing to fear.
"Last year, we got beat 1-0 there. Celtic didn't create much, we probably had the better chances, but they went up the park and scored from 25 yards, as they quite often do. If we had taken our chances it might have been different. Lessons have been learned from that day.
"When you go to Celtic Park you're hoping you'll get one or two chances. Then it's about being in the right place at the right time and having that composure to put the ball in the back of the net."
Thistle have not won a cup competition since beating Celtic in the 1971 League Cup final, and there is a feeling at the club that another cup run is long overdue.
"There haven't been many cup finals at the club, so it would be nice if we could even progress again," added Doolan.
"It would be nice to give the fans something else to look forward to. We're no different to anybody else, every team wants a cup run because it's a break from the pressures of the league. It's a nice distraction. And you definitely want to get to the final."
Kallum Higginbotham, Thistle's playmaker, could return, having shaken off a knee injury, while Danny Seaborne is back after serving a one-match ban. Gary Fraser (knee) and Sean Welsh (groin) are nearing a return but are not in the squad.
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