Neil Lennon admits the old nerves will be jangling as Celtic go for history at Hampden

There will be so much that will be different to that day almost 20 years ago when Lennon first tasted victory in this competition when he walks out at the national stadium this afternoon, not least of all the absence of 50,000-odd supporters, but the churning in Lennon’s stomach will be one constant that remains.

Will his overriding emotion be excitement or anxiety? Trepidation, or anticipation?

“All of the above!” Lennon said. “It never changes.

“It’s the Scottish Cup. It’s been a really good competition for me, it means a lot to me. It was my first one as a manager.

“I remember waking up the day we played Hibs [as a player] and my stomach was churning that morning. We put in a great performance and won that one 3-0.

“You react in different ways. Even the last one, there was so much riding on it and I was absolutely thrilled that we overcame that one.

“This one will be no different in terms of how you’re feeling and all the plays that go through your mind, all the actions.

“You know you can’t control it, so what you do is try to take your mind off things. All the preparation work is done.

“You just have to try and be as relaxed as you possibly can.”

That has been made easier, Lennon admits, by the current restrictions that are in place on our daily lives, as much as he would love to have the Celtic support in his corner at Hampden today.

“It’s certainly different, all the furore and meeting people in the street, it’s a lot calmer,” he said.

“There’s definitely been a sign of anticipation in the training and the body language this week. [The players] seem to be a lot more engaged and a lot more together, which is great.”

Without that day-to-day interaction with the punters though, the empty stadium and the strange prospect of playing last season’s final just day before Christmas, is there a danger that the importance of the occasion may be lost on some of the Celtic players? Lennon doesn’t believe so.

“I don’t think I need to [explain that to them], because I think the players are completely aware of what the gravity of the game is,” he said.

“A lot of them have won three Trebles and they don’t take it for granted. We know how difficult it is to win a trophy.

“They’ve done brilliantly and that’s why it has been so remarkable. I think because they’ve done it that many times, people just take it for granted.

“Now we’re out of the League Cup, there’s that feeling of wanting it even more.

“We’ll go into the game with a real positive mindset and that will to win.”

That blow of exiting this season’s Betfred Cup to Ross County, a defeat that also brought to an end Celtic’s 35-match winning streak in domestic cup competitions, is still raw for Lennon. It may well even have ended his second reign as manager.

As it is, it gives the final this afternoon a feeling of the curtain coming down on the end of an era of domestic dominance, but Lennon is determined that a win this afternoon will not only serve to bookmark the past, but act as the catalyst for a new era of Celtic supremacy.

“There’s still a lot to play for,” he said. “There’s the chance to win 10 in-a-row, there’s the chance to win another cup at the end of this season.

“So, there’s still a hell of a lot to play for. It’s not as if we don’t win on Sunday then the world stops, you go again on Wednesday against Ross County. We just keep that focus.

“If we win we’ll enjoy that moment, and you can look back on it at the end of the season with a lot of pride and admiration.

"It's not about me. It's about the club and the team. If we can complete a quadruple Treble it probably wouldn't ever be seen again.

"To be a part of that would be fantastic. But ask me about that if we prevail.

"My whole motivation is on the team, getting the right balance and performance - and getting the trophy.”