Scott Brown has dismissed any thoughts of compacency at Hampden today as he bids to get hold of his first trophy as captain.
The midfielder has been a player reborn since the turn of the year with his classic celebration \o/ after scoring against Rangers last month instantly an iconic moment.
Brown was an unexpected choice as captain by Tony Mowbray but while the term mature or role model is unlikely to be used to describe the Fifer he’s been around the Scottish scene long enough to know the pitfalls.
Celtic are 11/10 to win the trophy in 90 minutes with the bookies, 4/6 outright, but it’s the fear of losing that will drive the skipper on when the action gets underway at Hampden.
“We don’t want to get beat, we want to be winning trophies and pretty much every game possible,” Brown told Channel 67. “Whatever game it is we’re looking to win.
“It’s understandable if people are worried that we might be complacent but you can’t go into any match expecting to win.
“It means a lot to the lads to be going for the first silverware of the season and we want to get our hands on it.
“The football that we’ve been playing has been really good, we’re looking sharp and we’re ready for the match
“We’re playing for the manager and to get him a new contract. We want the management team to stay as long as possible and they want us to be around as well, we owe them a lot.
“The manager has let me go forward a lot more, it’s not a free role but I have a good understanding with Mark Wilson and that’s working well for myself and the team.”
Marc Crosas on twitter: “Gutted i can’t be at Hampden today but we have a big game tomorrow in Moscow against Spartak!shame Aiden won’t play since he is suspended!”
Brown’s duels with El Hadji-Diouf have been closely monitered since the pair clashed at Ibrox in the Scottish Cup then followed things up in newsprint.
The loan Rangers lost the plot in the last match between the two clubs receiving a post match red card for his troubles.
Brown has had his disciplinary troubles in the past but assistant manager Johan Mjallby believes that the midfielder is managing to channel his natural aggression for the benefit of the team.
“Scott has behaved himself really well and is a great skipper,” the Swede explained.
“We will tell them all not to do anything silly on the pitch and to play the game the right way but we also want them to show desire and commitment as well.
“We don’t want silly bookings as then there might be problems for the team if they get another card and are sent off. You still have to make tackles though.
“It’s a physical game and you want your players to show the desire to win the ball.
“It’s maybe more down to the rest of us to restrict ourselves in the dugout as it wasn’t too bad in the last Old Firm game and our players were quite composed.”
If you fancy Celtic to win the cup outright today, after 90 minutes, extra time or penalties the odds are 4/6.
To really cash in click on the logo below and open an account with bet365 and they will send you an email with a code in it that will double your existing stake upto £200.
Opening an account with £10 and getting that doubled will put £33.33 into your bet365 account IF Celtic win.
If you fancy Brown to open the scoring you can have 11/1 with the Celtic skipper priced at 7/2 to score at anytime.
Glenn Loovens starts for Celtic.
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