Killie ‘feeling good about themselves’ – McInnes

Derek McInnes hopes rising confidence levels from a fine start to the season can help his Kilmarnock side avoid a repeat of last season’s 2-0 defeat by Celtic when they meet again in the Viaplay Cup on Sunday.

This time, the venue is Rugby Park and not Hampden, the last-16 and not a semi-final, but Kilmarnock go into the game having topped their qualifying group before beating Rangers in their Premiership opener and following that with a draw with Heart of Midlothian at Tynecastle.

Manager McInnes admits the early league fixture list “looked pretty ominous” but said: “Because we won against Rangers, everybody was probably more confident going into the game at Tynecastle and now, on the back of a strong performance there – we were a wee bit disappointed that we didn’t manage to get three points which is not a bad thing, we go into this game probably a bit more confident again.

“The level of performances against Rangers and Hearts really pleased me for loads of reasons, getting that familiarity and building relationships on the pitch. The players have adapted brilliantly.

“Celtic have huge advantages over us, but I think we can hang on to anything we have got and the players should feel good about themselves. Sunday is going to demand a big performance from us.”