AHEAD of tomorrow’s (Saturday's) Betfred League Cup second round tie against Dunfermline at Paradise, Neil Lennon said he and his side must accept the disappointment of Tuesday’s Champions League exit, and build on their strong start to domestic football.

To this end, the Scottish champions have scored 12 goals in two domestic games, and will aim to extend that form at the weekend against Stevie Crawford’s Championship side.

“The feeling is one of disappointment, it’s something we all wanted,” said the Celtic manager of Champions League progress. “It’s something I’ve experienced before as a manager and player, and the players have. We are bitterly disappointed to miss out on it.

“We had the tie in our hands twice. That’s a regret, the players will have their regrets about that, as will I. It’s one that we’ve let go from an opportunity of strength.

“But we have to get over the disappointment, look forward to tomorrow and build from where we are. We’ve had magnificent start, scoring a lot of goals and we've been playing brilliant football.”

Ahead of tomorrow’s game, Neil Lennon explained that stopper Scott Bain has dislocated his thumb and is awaiting a scan. Craig Gordon will start against the Pars tomorrow, but the manager stressed a desire not to change his starting line-up too much.

He added: “We have to respect Dunfermline. I watched them in their opening game of the season against Dundee, and they were very good. It’s an opportunity to get a game under our belt and bounce back, and we have a trophy to defend. All of those points are in our thoughts going into the game.

“These players go through a test of character every time they put on a Celtic shirt. The pressure is big, the expectation is big so tomorrow’s the most important game because it’s the next one. They have character in abundance these players and they’ve shown that time and time again.

“Thing is in sport and football, you have to keep proving yourself. Whether you’re a manager or player, you have to get up in the morning and think if you can do things better and that’s what you have to do."

Manager: We look forward to starting our League Cup defence