Lennon urges Celtic to hold heads high and bounce back from blow

Neil Lennon has urged his Celtic players to hold their heads high in the wake of their chastening defeat by Rangers.

The champions are still smarting from their 2- 0 loss in Saturday’s derby at Celtic Park which took Rangers four points clear of their rivals at the top of the Premiership having played a game more.

However, recent form can give comfort to Celtic fans as their side have won the last 11 trophies up for grabs in Scotland and are aiming for a record 10th straight Premiership title.

Ahead of tonight ’s Europa League Group H opener against AC Milan at Parkhead, Lennon alluded to that success as he looked back at their first defeat in nine games. He said: “The initial feeling was we were b i tt e r l y disappointed.

“We have tried to be positive with the players and they have responded in the right way.

“We get our heads down and work hard but they also have to hold their heads high.

“There is a long way to go. We are not happy with the result but there is plenty of time to improve and bounce back.

“They should be proud of what they have achieved and what they can achieve going forward.

“All is not lost on one result and one performance.

“These players have done amazing things and I am confident that they will continue to do amazing things for the club.

“However, we have to get the heads down and do some hard work and get the level of performance that we know we are capable of and get a reaction in the next block of games.”

Lennon is looking to freshen up his team with a “couple of changes” and has Ryan Christie, who had to self-isolate being a close contact when Stuart Armstrong tested positive for Covid-19 on Scotland duty, available again.

However, Nir Bitton, Ha t e m Elhamed and Odsonne Edouard are still out due to coronavirus issues with James Forrest and Christopher Jullien still injured.