Ange Postecoglou, the Celtic manager, joked that the Parkhead club have gone from “trouble to treble” as they set up a mouth-watering Scottish Cup semi-final against Rangers next month.
It will be an intense period with at least two games against the Ibrox side in quick succession; depending on the date of the third game following the split it could be three within as many weeks.
“At the start it was all trouble now it is all treble,” said Postecoglou. “The important thing is that we are still in the competition and at this stage of the season we have given ourselves an opportunity for success. That is the expectation here.
“That expectation is on me and everyone at the football club. The players need to embrace that.
“We can’t think just because we have won a trophy already that it is going to be a good season. We want to win every competition we are in and give ourselves a chance to do that."
It is the first time that Celtic and Rangers have met in a Scottish Cup semi-final since 2018. There will be a different dynamic to the game with both fans guaranteed a 50-50 split of tickets for Hampden, a deviation from the way that recent games have played out.
"We're in the semi-finals and we've got Rangers so on we go,” he said.
"It will be massive. That was the prize on offer, to get through you've got a semi-final at Hampden and irrespective of who you play it's going to be a massive game. That's the reward for a really good performance.
“We are in it and that's the main thing. It's going to be great. It will be a cracking atmosphere. I've had two trips to Hampden and in both those games the atmosphere was unbelievable. I'm sure it will be a great atmosphere again for that semi-final.
“They are just games of football you need to win. The most important thing is that we're putting ourselves in a position where those games mean something. We focus on the next challenge and don't look too far ahead.”
Last night’s goals from Callum McGregor and Giorgos Giakoumakis – his 9th of the season and his eighth since the turn of the year – eased Celtic through with Postecouglou content with the intensity shown by his side.
“Giorgos had to work hard,” he said. ““All the front three worked really hard “It wasn’t a game where we were going to get a lot of chances. We were fighting the opposition for the ball because of the pitch. It wasn’t going to be smooth and it was hard to break them open at times.
“I thought we had to persevere and I thought we did that. Giorgos did that, got his goals and worked really hard for the team.
“Cup football always has a bit of an edge to it. Particularly away from home I thought the atmosphere was great. I thought we controlled the game from start to finish.”
It was an eleventh game away game without defeat for Celtic – there have been nine wins and two draws - following a previous run of form where they went eight months without a win on the road.
“It's the main factor in our form,” he said. “After a rocky start, our away form has been outstanding. We've been to Edinburgh four times, Aberdeen twice, Livingston, we've come here again - all tough away fixtures - and the boys have handled it really well.
“Away from home we're still controlling games and trying to be the team that takes it to the opposition. We don't take it for granted winning away from - it's not easy away from home. Being able to handle that has probably been the most important part of our season.
“We're going okay, but the key thing now is to finish our stuff off.”
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