Derek McInnes is not ruling out the possibility of Kilmarnock pulling off a surprise victory against reigning champions Celtic in their Scottish Cup fourth-round match at Parkhead on Saturday.
Facing the current runaway leaders of the Scottish Premiership is a matchup that many would consider a significant hurdle.
However, McInnes sees it as an opportunity rather than an insurmountable challenge.
The Killie boss does have a history of success against Celtic, notably when he led Aberdeen to a memorable 2-1 victory over the Glasgow giants in the fifth round of the Scottish Cup back in 2014.
This experience fuels his belief that Kilmarnock can achieve a similar feat when they visit Brendan Rodgers' side this weekend.
“We’re a Premier League club, we were the fourth-best team in Scotland last season,” McInnes emphasised.
“Obviously, we’ve still got work to do to try and be something similar this season, and I know we’ve got some injuries, but a lot of the same players who will play on Saturday played a big part in these victories [last season].
Read more:
- Ex Celtic & Rangers duo axed from Rennes' training, both set to depart
- New Rangers chairman Fraser Thornton slams DECADE of underperformance
“I remember my first year at Aberdeen, we went to Celtic Park in the Scottish Cup and we managed to beat a strongly-fancied Celtic team as well.
“It wouldn’t be the biggest shock in the world. It would be a shock, there’s no doubt about it and I’m sure you guys would say that, but it wouldn’t be the biggest shock if we can go there and pull off a victory.
“We go there confident, I think we’ve been far better with our defensive work recently and that’s going to be tested on Saturday.
“We’re on the back of what I thought was a brilliant performance. Although we never won the game against Motherwell, I thought we were so good in the game.
“Although we’re getting a few injuries and a few challenges at the minute, we still feel that there’s a capability within the squad to go and try and win a cup tie.”
