James McPake wary of ‘below-par’ Celtic talk

James McPake and Dundee are looking to bounce back from defeat at Ross County. Picture: SNS

Dundee defender James McPake is wary of any suggestion that it might be a below-par Celtic side who travel to Dens Park tonight.

The Parkhead club have won only two of their last seven matches in all competitions.

McPake, however, while trying to put his own side’s 5-2 defeat at Ross County behind him, expects the champions to be on top form.

Asked if he felt there was a vulnerability about Celtic at the moment, the 31-year-old former Hibernian player said: “I don’t know. Sometimes you think that and they come and are at their best.

“They have to win every game. They are coming off the back of a defeat and a draw so they are coming here expected to win as they would have been if they had been on a five-match winning streak. They are under a bit of pressure to win so they will be at it, I’m sure.

“It will be a strong Celtic team coming desperate for a win to please their fans.

“We were all disappointed [after Ross County] but we came in, trained and got it out of our system.”