SCOTT Brown is confident that Celtic can beat Rangers in the Betfred Cup final on Sunday even if key players are ruled out with injuries due to the unity of the Parkhead squad.
Left backs Boli Bolingoli and Jonny Hayes, striker Odsonne Edouard and winger Mohamed Elyounoussi are all doubtful for the match at Hampden this weekend due to knocks.
But Brown, who scored an injury-time winner in the Ladbrokes Premiership match against Hamilton at Celtic Park on Wednesday night to extend the winning run that Neil Lennon’s side had been on to 11 games, has faith in all of his team mates.
READ MORE: Scott Brown's injury-time winner was huge for Celtic ahead of Betfred Cup final
He has been impressed with how the likes of Lewis Morgan, the wide player who has been deployed up front while Edouard has been sidelined, and Greg Taylor, who has come in at left back, have fared.
And the midfielder, who is hoping to lift his 10th consecutive trophy as captain, feels the team spirit that exists has helped them integrate into the starting line-up and will prove invaluable if Bolingoli, Hayes Edouard and Elyounoussi fail to make it on Sunday.
“You’ve seen wee Lewy doing unbelievable well over the last few weeks,” he said. “He has pace and a willingness to run and close things down that maybe no one else can do.
“It shows the strength in depth in the squad and we might need to use it. You never know who is going to be fit and we’ll check that in the next couple of days. It’s about seeing who is fit and taking it from there.
“We are all very close in the dressing room and we all want each other to win and to play well. When lads are injured, they keep coming along, support the lads and in the changing room they speak to us before the game. That’s what a good squad does.
“It’s about making sure everyone is fit. Going into a cup final, there are a lot of places up for grabs. The manager has a hard decision to pick 11 players. It’s just about making sure the form is good in the next couple of days in training to make sure you are available.
“In a cup final, you never know what can happen. It’s about who turns up on the day and we need to make sure we’re ready and focused.”
READ MORE: Neil Lennon hopeful crocked quartet will come into contention for Betfred Cup final berths
Brown, who netted for the fourth time in seven games on Wednesday night, knows that Celtic will have to perform far better than they did against Hamilton in order to overcome a resurgent Rangers side.
“To be fair, I don’t know what I’m doing up there half the time,” he said. “I got a little bit lucky, took a touch with my left foot and somehow I’ve managed to find the back of the net. It was like slow motion.
“Three points is three points. It wasn’t the best performance by us, but we knew it was going to be a hard game against Hamilton. They did very well and stopped us from creating chances and playing. Fair play to them.
“You have it in the back of your head that Sunday is a huge game for us going into another cup final. But, yet again, we need to make sure we play a lot better.
“We’ve been really good at home and had 11 straight wins. Any result at home is always pleasing. We got the three points, it wasn’t pretty but it’s still three points."
READ MORE: Highlights as last-gasp Scott Brown goal sends Celtic clear at top
Brown added: “Hampden has been good for us recently. We’ve had to work in all the games we’ve played there. The way we play suits us. Hampden is a big pitch and it’s usually good. Here’s hoping for the same performance and the pitch is good for us, too.
“It’s always going to be hard, no matter who you are playing. We’ve went there, done really well, we’ve struggled in some games where we’ve gone behind, but we’ve always come back.
“It’s that belief that we’ve got. We need to make sure we always have that belief whether it’s against Hamilton or whoever. We need to keep pressing and play a lot better than we did against Hamilton.”
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