CELTIC are aiming to book their place in the semi-final of the Betfred League Cup by seeing off Partick Thistle tonight (Wednesday).

And though the Hoops go into the game as overwhelming favourites to progress against a side currently bottom of the Championship, the difficulty of the previous round against another Championship side in Dunfermline Athletic serves as a warning to the players not to take anything for granted.

Speaking exclusively to the official match programme for tonight’s League Cup quarter-final tie, Christopher Jullien explained that he’s looking forward to the tie.

“The game against Dunfermline was good for us,” said the French defender. “It reminded us we cannot relax at any moment in games. We need to keep the tempo high and focus because there aren’t a lot of chances to score when the opponents are defending so deep inside their own half.

“That result gave us confidence because it showed us we could get up and pick ourselves up after suffering a set-back. It wasn’t the level of performance we would have liked, but it gave us something to build-on and we have done that in the games which have followed.

“I’m sure the team is going to do the job against Partick Thistle. We all know there is a trophy on the line and we’re not going to let that slip through our hands. We’re going to be focused in defence and do the job at Celtic Park. If we work hard and do what we know we’re capable of, then we’ll deserve to win the game.”

Having the opportunity to win silverware was one of the reasons Jullien signed for Celtic, and the Hoops defender is relishing playing in a quarter-final so soon after making the move to Glasgow. The weight of expectation isn’t lost on Jullien and he knows being mentality prepared is equally important as being physically up for the challenge.

“It’s a real boost to be playing in a quarter-final so soon in my Celtic career,” he said. “I expected this because I came to a club that has won everything in the last three years.

“To play in a team that has been so successful brings a lot of pressure, but you can see that the new players are handling that very well. The players who have been here for some time have tried to teach me that mentality.

“So much of what we do is affected by our mind-set. We give 100 per cent in training and look after ourselves, but if you don’t have the right state of mind you will not show the best version of yourself.

“I’m seeing that the best way to prepare for so many games is just to take them game by game. Every team demands your full attention and preparation because every team we come up against is desperate to beat us.

“I’m confident that, if we keep continuing in this way, we will continue to get good results. We have a lot of talent and many good players in the team, so if we continue to work hard and focus on the moment, we will be successful. In every game we set out to prove that we’re not the champions through chance.”

Read the full and exclusive interview with Christopher Jullien ONLY in the official match programme. On sale at the game tonight.

You can also take advantage of the £5 Double Deal and get the match programme AND the Celtic View – a saving of £1.49. And this week’s Celtic View includes a FREE giant A2 poster of the 2019/20 squad.

Jullien: We're focused on ensuring League Cup progress