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Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers insists he is relishing the prospect of facing Rangers after the Old Firm rivals were paired in the Premier Sports Cup semi-finals.
A 4-0 win over Partick Thistle at Firhill saw the defending champions book their place in the last four, with Russell Martin's men defeating Hibs at Ibrox on Saturday.
Last season's finalists will now go toe-to-toe for a place in the Hampden showpiece against either Motherwell or St Mirren, with Rodgers' side having failed to beat Rangers over 90 minutes since last September.
That is a run spanning four matches, but the Celtic manager feels a renewed sense of confidence is building in his team - and believes they will be a different animal to the side who laboured to a 0-0 draw at Ibrox last month.
‘Whatever team you play in the semi-final, going to Hampden, I think that was important for us to get back there,’ said Rodgers.
‘There are a lot of games between now and then, and hopefully we can build the rhythm and keep growing and arrive in a good place for the semi-final.
Brendan Rodgers was delighted with performance of his team in 4-0 win over Partick Thistle
Sebastian Tounekti was the star man, scoring his first goal for club in a convincing victory
Protests were never far away, however, with fans displaying their anger with the board
'Ibrox wasn't a great game for both teams, to be honest. My only worry is Celtic, but we weren't in our best place, even though in other times if you go to Ibrox and get a point it might be deemed okay.
‘For me, it was just about trusting the team and trusting how we work. More importantly, trusting the players, which I do - and I can see the fluency starting to arrive.’
Despite a positive performance which saw new signings Sebastian Tounekti and Kelechi Iheanacho impress, much of the focus was on events off the pitch as Celtic fans continued to protest against the club’s board.
An overwhelming majority of supporters held up banners and chanted against the club hierarchy, just days after Celtic’s annual accounts showed cash reserves just shy of £80million.
‘I will never tell the supporters what to do or feel,’ said Rodgers. ‘But I don't think they've forgotten the team, they continued to support them.
‘The players feel it and they get encouraged by it. They gave us great backing all day.
‘I was really pleased with the performance and the result. You have to be really professional, and we were. The players passed it well and created some really good moments in the game.
‘We're building. It's hard to go through nine months in the season being hot. With everything going on in the window, it's taken some time for players to come in.
Yang is congratulated by his team-mates after opening the scoring for Celtic at Firhill
Liam Scales is hailed by Benjamin Nygren after scoring Celtic's second goal in cup clash
Rodgers has words of encouragement for Luke McCowan after he scored goal No4
‘I can see the fluency and the rhythm of the team growing each day.’
Rodgers was asked about Tounekti's contribution, with the winger scoring his first goal for the club alongside efforts from Yang-Hyun jun, Liam Scales and substitute Luke McCowan.
The manager said: ‘He excites me every time he gets the ball and that's what we were desperate for in the team.
‘He's come in really aggressive. He's a really talented boy because he can go either way and also, not only that, he can run in behind.
‘You see the numbers of times he makes runs. Sometimes he doesn't get it, sometimes he does, but he's running off the ball as well.
‘I'm really excited for where he is and where we can bring him to. But, importantly, supporters will love watching him because he's so exciting.
‘I think that when you come here and if you look through the history of this club, it's littered with amazing wingers and that's the football we play.
‘The DNA of this club is based on attacking football and that is with wingers on the side of the pitch that can take people on, beat people.
Crumpled up pieces of paper had to be retrieved from the pitch at the start of the game during a protest by fans
‘Every time he gets the ball, you just sense the excitement and that's what we need on both sides.’
Meanwhile, Celtic left-back Kieran Tierney completed 90 minutes for the first time since returning to the club in the summer.
Tierney has been working his way back to full fitness and was pleased to finally get a full day’s work under his belt.
‘If you look back the last couple of seasons, it’s been stop-start for me so it's not going to be as simple as just come in and be 100 per cent straight away,’ said the Scotland defender.
‘That’s why I've been so lucky with the gaffer here and the team here that they've given me time. Bit by bit I'll build it up, but it was a good 90 minutes to get under my belt as well and I feel great.’
