POSITIVE SIGNS

Callum McGregor was delighted to play his part in another Hampden win, and the midfielder believes the team are on the right track, domestically and in Europe

- TONY CONNELLY

CELTIC winning a semi-final at Hampden has become a familiar sight in recent seasons, and the impressive run of form at the National Stadium continued at the weekend with a 2-0 win over Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup.

It sets up a final showdown with Hearts on December 20 and the prospect of lifting last season’s trophy just five days before Christmas. Victory for Neil Lennon’s side would create history as Celtic would become the first club to win four Scottish Cups in a row, while it would also represent an incredible Quadruple Treble.

The success over Aberdeen was also Celtic’s 35th domestic cup win in a row, an impressive run of victories that is testament to the consistency and quality in the Hoops squad.

And given that it came just three days after a tough Europa League tie in France, and on a heavy pitch in the rain, it is all the more impressive.

For Callum McGregor, the performance and result against Lille last Thursday night, when two Moi Elyounoussi goals gave the Scottish champions a share of the spoils in a 2-2 draw, was a real confidence boost ahead of the game at Hampden.

It followed defeat on matchday one, when AC Milan won 3-1 at Celtic Park, and it was testament to Celtic’s showing in France that there was also a tinge of disappointment that all three points hadn’t been garnered, given they had established a two-goal lead by half-time.

“There are a lot of positives to take performance wise from the game against Lille,” the midfielder told the Celtic View. “We looked dangerous on the counter-attack and that stems back to last year when we were really good on the counter-attack in the European games.