Celtic midfielder Luke McCowan has delivered a stirring message to his teammates and the Scottish Premiership, insisting that the Hoops remain the team to beat as they head to Ibrox this weekend for the crucial derby clash with Rangers.
McCowan, who scored the game’s only goal in Celtic’s historic 1-0 win over VfB Stuttgart in the Europa League playoff second leg, emphasized that the morale-boosting victory in Germany must now be translated into domestic success. The goal, scored just 28 seconds into the match, marked Celtic’s first-ever victory on German soil. Despite being eliminated on a 4-1 aggregate, the performance has provided a confidence boost heading into the title run-in.
Focus Shifts to the League
Speaking after the Stuttgart victory, McCowan stressed the importance of keeping full focus on the league:
“The main thing for us now is the league. We have to put full focus to Sunday and the games remaining. It’s nice to have that kind of memento of not winning in Germany before, but that won’t matter at the end of the season. We want the title in our hands. We just need to keep that in mind.”
He highlighted the pressure of the Ibrox atmosphere but insisted Celtic have the quality and mentality to succeed:
“We just know we’ve got enough in that dressing room and we need to go in with the right attitude and the right hunger. As Celtic players, we need to know we’re champions still until we lose it. Right now, we’ve not lost it, so we need to have that mentality going in.”
Making the Most of Opportunities
McCowan, who made his first start since early January, underlined the importance of seizing opportunities to secure a place in Martin O’Neill’s starting XI:
“As a squad rotation player yourself, you need to be chapping on the door as constantly as you can. You don’t get yourself in with your words. It’s actions that matter. It’s goals and assists and good performances. I hope I’ve done that tonight.”
He acknowledged that personal contributions matter only if the team performs in the bigger picture:
“Scoring obviously helps my case, but it will not matter if we don’t go there on Sunday and get a good performance that leads to good results. I think it’s all about the reaction really.”
Building Momentum
Despite trailing in the Europa League tie, McCowan sees the Stuttgart result as a foundation for the domestic campaign:
“We obviously had a disappointing result in performance at the weekend, and you had to show up tonight with the right attitude, even though the game was an aggregate 4-1 down. Now we just need to build on that.”
With Celtic aiming to keep pace in the Scottish Premiership, McCowan’s words signal a clear intent: the Hoops are determined to assert themselves against Rangers and maintain their position at the top of the table.
The Ibrox clash on Sunday is shaping up to be pivotal, not just for bragging rights in Glasgow, but for the race for the Premiership title, with McCowan and his teammates determined to show they remain the team to beat.