'I don't like that word' - Ange Postecoglou dismisses Celtic momentum talk ahead of Rangers clash

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou celebrates with the away fans at full time after the 4-0 win over Hibs. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

Celtic weathered an early Hibs storm – and a disallowed Chris Cadden goal – before taking complete control with a double from Aaron Mooy, including one from the penalty spot, in addition to strikes from Daizen Maeda and Kyogo Furuhashi completing the rout.

The victory ensures Celtic will head to Ibrox with a nine point lead over second-placed Rangers, who made it four wins from four under Michael Beale with a 3-0 win over Motherwell.

But Postecoglou stressed that the sizeable gap does not present his team with any advantage in the mind games ahead of the second Old Firm derby of the season.

"I don’t think so. We’ve been a fair way in front for a while now and if we were thinking about it that way you might have seen complacency creep in," the Celtic boss said as he hailed an “outstanding effort” from his players in Leith.

"It’s just not relevant to where we are, or the mindset of this team. Every game is an opportunity for us to go out and play our football and win and give some joy to our supporters.

"Whether you are nine points ahead or nine points behind, what does it matter? The next game is a massive game, a showcase game. It’s a big game for our supporters, for our club and for the league.

"We want to be a part of that. We’re going to Ibrox, a tough place to go. Who cares what the points tally is? What a game to be looking forward to.

"We’ll try and put on another strong performance and give our fans some joy."

Postecoglou also shut down any suggestions that his Celtic side have momentum on their side.

“I don’t like that word momentum because it suggests we’re just rolling up and doing stuff," he stressed.

"The boys are working awfully hard. We worked hard during the break. I think we’ve come back stronger than we finished. We’ve had four games and I think in all four we’ve got stronger in each game.

“From our perspective it’s all about the main target and the main aim which is to keep pushing how good we can be on a daily basis, pushing the guys and making sure they are well prepared for what’s ahead. And they are buying into that.

“There is no sense of them getting comfortable at any stage. They are consistently pushing themselves and each other to be the best they can be.”

Celtic welcomed Josip Juranovic back into their squad for the win over Hibs following his World Cup exploits with Croatia. Reports have linked Chelsea with a move for the right-back but Posteocglou insisted that there has been no contact.

"I can say I’ve heard nothing. Nothing’s happened," he said. "As I said a week or so ago, the speculation is what it is.

"What I know is we are in a really good space as a club. Going into January we have already strengthened and hopefully we’ll strengthen further.

"I’m in no doubt by the end of January we’ll have a stronger squad than we did going into it."