CELTIC go into today’s Scottish Cup semi-final looking to extend their remarkable run of victories in domestic cup competitions, which currently stands at a remarkable 34 wins. That run has yielded four League Cups and three Scottish Cups, and the Hoops have their sights set on a four consecutive triumph in the latter competition – something that no other club has ever achieved.

Standing in their way are Aberdeen, while Hearts await the winners of today’s match, having seen off Hibernian in the Edinburgh derby semi-final.

For Neil Lennon and his players, victory would take them a step closer to clinching a fourth consecutive domestic treble, albeit this latest one has extended into the current season, with the Scottish Cup put back due to the postponement of football in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Now that last season’s semi-final is being played this season, the Celtic players are fully focused on getting the job done at the National Stadium and reaching another domestic cup final.

Speaking ahead of the game, Neil Lennon said: “It is a remarkable achievement, and these players should be given that respect. I don’t think we’ll ever see it again.

“This will be the first one at Hampden without a crowd, so it will be different, but the promise is the game, and we’d dearly love to win the game.

“It’s been wonderful at Hampden, the players have been outstanding, and the occasion going there and winning is very special with the supporters there to see it. It will be different this time, but the focus will all be on trying to extend this run of cup wins and cup finals.

“I think the four teams left in the competition would have all wanted it to be finished, having earned the right to be there, and it’s now up for grabs.”

Celtic and Aberdeen fought out a 3-3 draw at Pittodrie last weekend, with the home side twice taking the lead before grabbing a share of the spoils with a last-minute penalty. And while they have had a full week to prepare, the Hoops were in Europa League action on Thursday night, producing an impressive performance against Lille in France to draw 2-2.

Neil Lennon knows that Aberdeen will provide a tough test at Hampden, but it’s one the Celtic manager is confident his players will pass with flying colours.

“It’s another semi-final, the players are looking forward to it and we’ve had a good look at Aberdeen,” he said. “There’s a familiarity there, we know what we’ll come up against, and semi-finals are always tense occasions.

“Aberdeen have won a lot of games this season. They gave us a real challenge last weekend and we expect the game today to be pretty similar to the one at Pittotdrie.”

Neil Lennon: Players want to extend incredible run of cup wins