CELTIC v KILMARNOCK
FILIP BENKOVIC has vowed to create a solid Croatian core at Celtic to cement their place as title favourites in a hectic December run.
The on-loan Leicester defender is banking on developing a formidable partnership with compatriot Jozo Simunovic as the Hoops tackle shock leaders Kilmarnock today at Parkhead.
Dedryck Boyata’s hamstring injury has forced boss Brendan Rodgers to pair Benkovic with Simunovic – but the duo are revelling at the chance to shine with another six league games and a Europa League decider against Salzburg to come before the turn of the year.
Benkovic once succeeded Simunovic at the heart of the Dinamo Zagreb defence before following his mate to British football with a move to the Foxes.
Now the 21-year-old is convinced a strong union with him at Parkhead can ensure the champions get back on top after drawing with Motherwell.
Benkovic said: “I can have a good partnership with Jozo. We speak the same language and we know each other well.
“I’m looking forward to playing with him in the next games. We must be like a team behind each other. I’m positive about the overall situation.
“I think we were good together against Motherwell. They got one chance and they scored in the last two or three minutes.
“When I came here I knew I had parts of my game to progress. It was also on a physical side of the game. This is important for me.
“Step by step I am getting better and better. But I still need to work – I want to be better than I am now.
“The manager spoke to us after Motherwell and said that he’d expected us to win, which is normal.
“He told us just to work on the Saturday game because it’s very important. We could have been points in front but we want to do it this next game.
“We have a lot of games in front of us and the league has a long way to go yet.
“We’ve done well until now and in December there are a lot of games. We must give 100 per cent because the matches will be really tough. They are almost every two or three days.
“Saturday is an even more important game. Kilmarnock have done well this term and we respect their team but we want to get back to winning ways.”
Benkovic has proved to be a class act in the Celtic ranks and the Hoops must be cursing the fact they didn’t splash out the £7million it would have taken to land the player from Zagreb in the summer of 2017.
A year later Leicester snapped him up for £12m and there’s no