All those connected with Celtic will be hoping for the same again in this campaign, however, the previous trip to Hampden did end in disappointment in the Scottish Cup semi-finals.

It’s a scenario that no one in the squad tomorrow, or on the green side of Hampden, will want to see repeated and the manager is aiming to use that disappointment in their favour on Saturday evening.

He added: “You use it as fuel because you can’t dismiss these things.

“A lot of sport is about how you overcome challenges and things that haven’t worked out in the past and it’s how you address that - losing a semi-final last year wasn’t an enjoyable experience for all of us.

'Our players are prepared for that, they like that challenge and from their perspective, they're looking forward to it to test themselves.'

There’s been a consistency about this Celtic team that’s been unrivalled by anyone else in the country over the last year-and-a-half, something that fills the manager with confidence going into these Hampden showdowns.

But despite that, he is all too aware that when the bus heads underneath the stadium tomorrow and the players walk into the changing room, there will be a slightly different feel around the place than normal.

“There’s a consistency there (in the squad) that’s reflected in our trajectory over the last 12 to 14 months,” he said.

“We’ve been consistent in performances because we go into every game with a similar mindset and no game is of greater importance than the other.

“I think when you get to the ground tomorrow the players will get that feeling that it’s not just another league game with three points, there’s more than this.”

Manager: Cup success last year was important and now we want it again