HAMPDEN, as a modern football stadium, might not be everyone’s cup of tea. But it certainly suits Celtic.

They are currently on a 17-match winning streak at the national stadium, a remarkable record they are very obviously eager to stretch with a victory over Rangers in the Scottish Cup semi-final tomorrow.

Ange Postecoglou hasn’t been around for all of those triumphs of course, but the few experiences of Hampden he has had so far have all been similarly positive to those who have gone before him in recent years.

The Celtic manager has an appreciation for the history of the old place, and as he was keen to stress, an understanding of the levels his team have to reach any time they walk out there, particularly when they are walking out to face down Rangers for a place in the Scottish Cup Final.

“It’s part of the expectations of playing for this football club,” Postecoglou said. “You are expected to be contending for honours every year and two significant trophies are won at Hampden.

“You have to be good there. You have to embrace it. It’s not just about the game, it’s about the whole event and everything that surrounds it, the hype, the pressure, everything.

“This football club has shown throughout its history this is the stage it wants to be on.

“I have been there twice, we’ve had a couple of wins and won a trophy, so my experiences have been positive.

“I don’t know why historically people may or may not like the venue but what I do know is when you go to Hampden it’s a big game, irrespective of the competition.

“I like that aspect of it. It gives it a unique feel because when you go up to the stadium you know it’s a big event. I’ve enjoyed it so far and I'm looking forward to going again.

“Hampden is steeped in history – and that’s sort of the charm and magic of it. You are in a place where some memorable football moments have happened. As a participant, whether you are a player or staff at a football club, you want to add to that history.

“This is where it happens and we have an opportunity to do that on Sunday.”

That opportunity has certainly not been lost on the Celtic players, with Postecoglou noting an uptick in the excitement levels at training this week. So much so that his men might run to the national stadium to be involved?

“They might run there but I’m not – I’m taking the bus!” he said.

“Look, the boys are excited. When you get to this part of the year it’s the big games of consequence and you want to be part of them.

“It’s a semi-final at Hampden, it’s an occasion to look forward to.

“[The 50/50 split] will be a new experience for some and it’s another thing to look forward to.

“The atmosphere at the semi and final of the League Cup was unbelievable. We had bigger numbers there, it was a cracking atmosphere.

“We’ve experienced the derby at home and a couple of times away, and the players have enjoyed it.

“It will be slightly different again on Sunday but I’m sure the players will be looking forward to it.”

Just as the Celtic players are buzzing ahead of the game, there is a school of thought that their opponents might be a little drained following their Europa League extra-time exertions against Braga on Thursday night. A theory that Postecoglou, unsurprisingly, does not subscribe to.

“You are grasping at straws if you start thinking that way,” he said. “My role is to prepare our players to play our best game of the year this weekend.

“We are playing against an opponent we will assume will be at their best. We won’t assume any side we face will be anything less than at the top of their game.

“That’s what we expect on Sunday. People think Thursday night’s game will have taken something out of them – it might add to them.

“They might be buoyed by that result. They might be feeling good about themselves and come out and play their best game of the year.

“We have to be ready for that. If we are that means we will be ready to produce our best game of the year and we do that by playing our football.”

The rivalry being as it is, the team who is behind in the league, or who loses the last game between the pair, is usually painted as being in some sort of crisis.

This season, there is an argument to be made that we simply have two teams who are performing at a very high level, and that we should perhaps simply enjoy the spectacle of them duking it out for the honours come the end of the season.

“I absolutely agree with that,” Postecoglou said. “It’s a good point to make, mate. People can think there’s one measure of things, it’s up or down.

“I have never seen it that way. We are in competition on multiple fronts and we want to be successful in all of them. To do that we are going to have to overcome tough opposition, whether it’s in the league or the cup.

“You have to earn everything. We are where we are right now because we have earned it, not because it’s been an easy ride for us.

“You look at Rangers and they have done awfully well in Europe. Their league form is pretty good and the results we have had against them has swayed things in our favour.

“They are a good side. They have been all year.

“We’ve proven to be a good side as well.”