Celtic take to the field tomorrow (Saturday) in what they hope will be the first step towards their 43rd Scottish Cup capture as Kilmarnock arrive for the fourth round tie. The Hoops’ last Scottish Cup tie was last May, and, of course, it was the 1-0 win in the final against Rangers. Kasper Schmeichel’s last Scottish Cup game, however, was a little bit further back – 18 years to be precise when he played for Falkirk in a 3-0 defeat to St Johnstone in 2007. Hopefully, his experience tomorrow will be a bit different in terms of both atmosphere and scoreline. The keeper said: “I’m very excited, it’s a great opportunity, another competition that we’re looking to go far in, and I’m excited to get going.” The tie comes amid a heavy fixture schedule and Celtic’s immediate calendar illustrates that with further games in the Champions League against YB Bern and the return to league action against Dundee to come over the following week. The Dane said: “Our way of thinking all season has always been next game, and next game is a cup game, so we put everything that we have into that, and that goes for the same in any competition that we’re playing in. ‘I think when you play at a club like this, then you’re going to try and win everything that you can win, so this is a competition that we need to do well in.’ “I love it, it’s what we play football for. I don’t play football to train, I play to play games and be involved in these kind of competitions – constantly testing yourself, constantly testing what our capabilities are, and how well we can recover to go again every three days. “That’s the challenge, and it’s a challenge I look forward to and a challenge I like. “My mind-set has always to be in football to play. I’m not the type of guy who is going to ask for a rest. “I think if I do that then there’s something seriously wrong. I love playing games, it’s what I live for, it’s the joy, the excitement of being part of big occasions and any opportunity you get to play in a full Celtic Park you’ve got to take it.”The keeper won the FA Cup back in 2021 with Leicester City, under Brendan Rodgers no less, when they beat Chelsea 1-0 in the final, and he is a veteran of nigh on 100 cup games at club level. He’s watched a few finals as well, including Celtic’s win last May. He said: “Any cup competition, and I’ve been lucky enough to play in and win different cup competitions around the world, and what it offers is something different. “It offers the opportunity for lower-league teams to play Premiership teams, and sometimes there are iconic moments in that. “I watched that final, I watched the celebrations and I was taken aback by that because it was amazing to watch. “And definitely those kid of things are what you play football for. You want to play lots of matches, you want to get to those kind of opportunities where you have a chance to write yourself in the history books and be a part of moments like that.” Watching that final, though, Schmeichel didn’t know he would be joining Celtic at that time, he was watching it because of long-time friend and fellow keeper, Joe Hart. He said: “I watched a lot of Celtic because of Joe particularly. Obviously having played up here before for Falkirk, I knew about Celtic and everything about it. “I played up here in a pre-season game and there were 60,000 there, so everyone knows about Celtic and the history, and the grandeur of this club, and I watched the final because Joe was playing. “When you think of Celtic, you think of Celtic lifting cups and trophies. “That’s part of the history, that’s part of the heritage, that’s part of the pressure of being a Celtic player now, and you have to live up to that. “That’s a really exciting challenge, that’s a great challenge, and we all have to love that pressure, and the history that dictates the pressure, so, we enjoy that.” More on the game Training Gallery: Celtic v Kilmarnock –
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