Kilmarnock’s Brad Lyons is in a confident mood as his side prepares to host Celtic in a highly anticipated Premiership encounter at Rugby Park.
The Scottish champions arrive in Ayrshire in formidable form, having lost just once this season. That solitary defeat, a humbling 7-1 loss to Borussia Dortmund at the Westfalenstadion, came back in early October.
Since then, Celtic have been imperious. Domestically, they remain unbeaten, have booked their place in the Scottish League Cup final, and taken four points from Atalanta and RB Leipzig in the Champions League.
Celtic’s Formidable Momentum
Heading into Sunday’s clash, Brendan Rodgers’ side are brimming with confidence. Last weekend, the Hoops dismantled their nearest league challengers with ease.
Just days later, they demonstrated their European credentials, holding Bundesliga high-flyers RB Leipzig to a draw.
However, Celtic’s task tomorrow will be far from straightforward. Rugby Park has proven a challenging venue for Rodgers. Despite clinching their 54th league title there in May, the Hoops suffered two defeats at the ground last season.
Rodgers himself has acknowledged Rugby Park as a tough hunting ground over both his spells at Celtic. The expectation is for another intense battle this weekend.
Lyons: “Why Can’t We Do It Again?”
Kilmarnock’s Brad Lyons is drawing confidence from past triumphs. The midfielder believes his team has what it takes to upset the odds once more, despite Celtic’s stellar recent form.
“We are not going into this game shying away from it. We know their quality, but we can give them a good go here. We are going to go in and back ourselves. It’s 11 players against 11 players out there. As I said before the Rangers game, we beat both Old Firm (sic) teams out there last year so why can’t we do it this year?”
Lyons remains bullish, recalling last season’s victories over both Glasgow giants.
“We have that feeling of beating Celtic, we have that confidence, we know we can do it, so why can’t we do it again on Sunday?”
Praise for McGregor
Lyons, recently called up by Northern Ireland for UEFA Nations League matches against Belarus and Luxembourg, will face Celtic captain Callum McGregor tomorrow. He had high praise for the midfielder.
“We know Callum McGregor is a top quality player and I would say an even better pro because he’s doing it so consistently for so many years. We know when he’s playing at his best, Celtic are playing at their best. He makes them tick.”
Game Plan to Disrupt
The 27-year-old knows Kilmarnock will need to be tactically astute to keep Celtic at bay.
“We’ll try and set game plans up, try and not get him as much involvement in the game. We need to try and null and void their better players or their ball players to try and not let them get into the rhythm.”
Match Details
Kick-off at Rugby Park is at 3:00 pm. The game will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Football, while Celtic fans outside Britain and Ireland can catch the action on Celtic TV.