Ange Postecoglou warns rock-bottom St Johnstone will be ‘challenge’ for Celtic

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou will not underestimate rock-bottom St Johnstone in Sunday’s cinch Premiership clash at McDiarmid Park.

The Hoops go into the Boxing Day fixture as Premier Sports Cup winners following their 2-1 final win over Hibernian last week but that first trophy triumph for the Parkhead manager was sandwiched between two struggles in the league.

Celtic were held to a surprise goalless draw against Covid-affected St Mirren in Paisley on Wednesday night and the previous week it took an added-time winner against Ross County in Dingwall to take all three points back to Glasgow.

St Johnstone, last season’s domestic cup double winners, are in freefall having lost their last seven games, six in the league since a 1-0 defeat to Celtic in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final and they sit two points adrift of second-bottom Dundee.

But Postecoglou will not be taking anything for granted.

“If anything, it has shown over the last few weeks that all the games are tight,” he told Sky Sports Scotland

“There is no games you go into thinking they are going to be less of challenge and St Johnstone will be a challenge for us.

“All teams are struggling at the moment just with getting bodies out on the park, we are no different.

“We have to make sure we continue the consistency in the performances we have shown.

“Even on Wednesday night the performance was good, we have to make sure we find a way to put the ball in the net.”

Postecoglou will have defender Carl Starfelt back from suspension although he is not confident that any of his clutch of injured players will make it for the trip to Perth, the last fixture before the winter break kicks in.

He said: “It is unlikely with the short turnaround.

“We might get one or two but at this stage I think it will be a similar sort of team that went out the last time.”