Ange shows Real respect to bogey team Livingston

ANGE POSTECOGLOU last night vowed Celtic will treat Livingston like Real Madrid as they aim to avoid a fresh setback at the Tony Macaroni Arena. The Scottish champions have dropped points at the West Lothian ground every season since the Lions were promoted in 2018. In fact, the 3-1 triumph Postecoglou’s men recorded in March was Celtic’s first win at their bogey ground since 2007. The Australian is confident if his side replicates that performance from seven months ago they can head back along the M8 with all three points. But he warned his players can’t afford to have one eye on their final Group F match in the Bernabeu for a dead rubber against the reigning European champions on Wednesday if they are to emerge from the Tony Macaroni Arena with a vital victory. The Celtic boss said: ‘We treat every opponent the same way. We will put the same kind of research into Sunday as we will into playing Real Madrid or playing in the Champions League. ‘We respect what Livingston bring and make sure our players are fully informed on it. When you go to a place like Livingston, you need to have all your attention on the task ahead. If you start to look beyond, then you’ll slip up. ‘It’s always a challenge at Livingston. They are a very good football team. We went there last season and lost the first one there. But we embraced the challenge in the return and it was a really strong performance on the day. That’s what we are looking for again this weekend.’ Celtic could be set for a boost against Livi and Real Madrid after winger Jota returned to full training. The influential 23-year-old limped off with an injury against St Johnstone on October 8 but was recently named in the provisional Portugal squad for the World Cup in Qatar. There was further good news, with captain Callum McGregor ahead of schedule with his recovery from a knee issue, while injured defenders Carl Starfelt and Stephen Welsh are back in training. Postecoglou said: ‘Jota’s gone through training so far and if he comes through on Saturday he will be ready for the game. ‘Callum McGregor’s recovery is going well. We won’t see him before the break but Callum being Callum, he’s pushing every boundary and is probably ahead of schedule.’