Sarah Harkes believes that the international break came at a perfect time for the Hoops, as the Celtic FC Women's squad look recharged and ready for the trip to Partick Thistle this SUnday (April 17).

Celtic signed off for the international break with a 2-0 Scottish Women's Cup quarter-final win over Aberdeen, to set up a semi-final clash with Hearts at the Falkirk Stadium on Sunday, May 1, but it was business as usual for the players who remained in Glasgow, with the American midfielder explaining how the team kept ticking over.

“It was basically just keeping up our rhythm, our touches of the ball and making sure we were keeping up the momentum," she explained, "so even with girls away we were doing a lot of possession, maintaining our fitness and our health as it's been a long season.

'We’ve had a few big games and there’s five or six weeks left now, so before that last push it's nice to get a little bit of a break for some of us.'

"Of course, the girls that were away didn’t get a break but it came at a great time.”

With the squad now reassembled, attention has turned to this weekend's clash with Partick Thistle, which will be the fourth meeting between the sides this season.

Despite three wins from three for Fran Alonso's squad, Thistle have proven themselves a tough proposition, having recently knocked out Hibernian in the Scottish Cup to set up a semi-final tie with Glasgow City, and Harkes said the team are well aware of the threat they pose.

“You can never take any of the teams in this league for granted," she said.

"They all have great quality and there are quite a few former Celtic players in that team, so we know first-hand how good some of them are, and we need to make sure we go out and give out our all.

“All of our league games are still so important. Of course, there is a gap but we still have a lot to fight for and want to make sure we finish our league games strong and have great results.

“You never know what could happen in the league, too. Other teams could drop points and we could keep climbing the ladder, so it’s about making sure we have good performances and getting the wins and then taking that performance into cup games."

Sarah Harkes: We're looking forward to a return to action against Partick Thistle