Celtic organised bounce games to help with Champions League preparation as club get bumper ticket boost

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has revealed the club have organised bounce games to ensure fringe players are fit and ready to play when called upon.

The Scottish champions do not face as intense a period as they did this time last year.

By this stage of last season they had already played five games compared to the two so far this campaign.

Direct qualification to the Champions League has meant there are no European qualifiers to navigate. With more time between games it has prompted a tweak to the club's training model, something the management team have been preparing for.

Celtic have had a “solid" start to the league campaign, according to Postecoglou, with wins over Aberdeen and Ross County.

“It was always going to be a different start for us after the pre-season we've had, we are obviously so used to playing three games a week but having a game on the weekend means our training model is different,” he told Celtic TV.

“We are still almost going through an extended pre-season with the work we're doing with the players.

"Our performances right through pre-season were solid and that's continued into the first two games. The first game I thought there was some good stuff, I thought there was some stuff we could have done better but there was progression in the second game, the way we controlled it, it's been a decent start.

Celtic have started with two wins from two. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group)

"It's like anything, it's beneficial if we use it right, otherwise it's a waste. We have been planning this for quite a while. We have a couple of bounce games organised for the guys who haven't played, so when we need to throw them in we're match ready.

"You've seen in the first two games, we have had injuries and illnesses, I want to put them in knowing they are ready."

Meanwhile, Celtic will be backed up a bumper away support when they face Ross County in the Premier Sports Cup later this month.

The team travel to Dingwall and the Staggies have confirmed the visitors will get the “entirety of the North and East Stands” due to a low uptake in home ticket sales.