Saints all set for cup quarter final showdown with Celtic

St Johnstone boss Tommy Wright insists Betfred Cup opponents Celtic are still the benchmark as the spotlights turned on the Parkhead club amid unusual early season struggle.

After winning back-to-back domestic trebles in his first two seasons as Hoops boss, Brendan Rodgers admitted Celtic fans should be alarmed that their 2-1 defeat at Kilmarnock on Sunday left them with 10 points after six games, their poorest start to the Ladbrokes Premiership in 20 years.

However, ahead of the quarter-final clash with the holders at McDiarmid Park on Wednesday night, Wright said: "Brendan is just calling it as he sees it.

"He is an honest, straight-talking manager, if he comes out and says everything is rosy in the garden and we are playing brilliantly the Celtic fans will see through it, everybody will see through it.

"It might be a wee reminder to his players. Their form has been indifferent, they haven't hit the heights that they have shown but they still have the best squad, still will be the team everybody has to beat to win cups and win the league and it is only six games.

"My job is to try to make it after Wednesday night that they are still indifferent.

But I have watched them a couple of times, I watched them in the Old Firm game and in Europe.

"The Old Firm game in particular they were outstanding, totally dominated it.

"I think when a team is successful they are going to hit a period where their form is a bit indifferent.''

The Perth side go into the game on the back of a 5-1 defeat by Rangers at Ibrox on Sunday but Wright is hoping a fixture against the other half of the Old Firm is the pick-up required.

He said: "We haven't got time to dwell or feel sorry for ourselves.

"Football is like that anyway. You have to move on very quickly, you have to learn very quickly.

"With a midweek game, a cup game, it could be the perfect tonic for us.

"Even if there was no midweek game we would just get stuck in and prepare for the next one and that is the most important thing.

"But if we play like we did on Sunday, particularly without the ball, it will be difficult for us. Obviously in the 5-1 defeat, there were aspects that we weren't happy with.

"That will be our main concern, and try to take advantage if they have an off game again."