CelticPlayer exclusive interview with Luke McCowan

Luke McCowan says Celtic are determined to raise the intensity when they return to Paradise to face Middlesbrough this Saturday.

The Hoops welcome the English Championship side to Celtic Park for their first home pre-season fixture, with the 3pm kick-off providing another valuable test ahead of the new campaign.

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Having returned from a warm-weather training camp in Portugal, which included Tuesday night's match against Sporting CP, McCowan believes the focus is now shifting towards building match sharpness and restoring the mentality required for competitive football.

Speaking to CelticPlayer ahead of the game, McCowan said: "It's about upping the mentality again. We're going to Celtic Park and we don't want to let anyone come and dominate the game.

"We want to make sure we're the ones doing that, regardless of it being pre-season.

"Now that we're back here and there are two or three weeks until the start of the season, we want to properly raise the mentality."

Saturday's match will be Celtic's first outing at Paradise since the Bhoys were crowned champions at the end of last season, and McCowan is looking forward to stepping back out in front of the home support.

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"I can't wait. It's our first home game of pre-season, so it'll be a good occasion," he said. "I'm just excited to get back out on the grass at Celtic Park."

The Hoops faced high-quality opposition in Sporting CP earlier this week, and while the Portuguese side eventually ran out 4-1 winners following a number of second-half changes, McCowan felt there was plenty for Celtic to take from the contest.

"In pre-season, you're training on the day of the game as well. You always want to win, but the main focus is gaining fitness," he said.

'There were parts of the performance that looked good and other things we know we can improve on. This is the perfect time to identify those things.'

"A lot of the younger boys also got the chance to play against top opposition. Sporting have top players and top staff, and they know how to make a football match difficult. It was good to test ourselves against that level of opposition, especially in the heat.

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"It's about building momentum and getting your body ready, especially for the start of the season when the games come thick and fast." He added.

"Everyone is fully focused on what's to come. We're getting more of the first-team players back in and getting them up to speed, and once that happens, I'm sure we'll be absolutely fine."

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