Hibernian manager Colin Calderwood has challenged his players to keep their faint top-six ambitions alive by springing a surprise at Celtic Park.
Calderwood's ninth-placed outfit are seven points behind Motherwell in sixth spot, meaning they really need to win their last three games before the league splits to stand any chance of a top-six finish.
The former Scotland defender, unable to field on-loan Celtic defender Richie Towell against his parent club, said: "It's an exciting game, can we take something out of it? We've got to go with that intention. Obviously, we need something if you're looking beyond it."
He added: "That's the end point of these next three games (top six). It will obviously have an impact on Wednesday's game. We've got to take something to have any chance otherwise that will curtail it. "It's a terrific game and a terrific week we've got, in terms of Hearts, Celtic and Aberdeen. It's a great examination of us.
"We've got to make sure we focus on this game, the long-term thing is the bigger picture."
Celtic were easy 3-0 winners when they last played Hibs in January, as former Easter Road striker Anthony Stokes helped himself to a double on his return to his old ground. But Calderwood has made his side far harder to beat since then, as proved in Sunday's fixture with Hearts where they had numerous chances to defeat their 10-man Edinburgh rivals.
"It's another test against a team who are a good team and have really developed well this season," added Calderwood.
"I want to see us more competitive than we were the last time we played, similar to against Hearts on Sunday. "All we're looking at now is self-improvement and areas where we let ourselves down before. We want to curb those flaws and make ourselves better in other areas."
Calderwood is convinced his team, likely to boast a number of players making their first appearance at Celtic Park, will not be overawed by the occasion.
"The boys have all played in good stadiums before, in high-pressure games. It's where people want to play," he stated.
Source: PA
