Lee Johnson admits Celtic stars bring fear factor for Hibs but he is planning for Parkhead BALL BOYS

Hibs boss Lee Johnson admits it's not just Ange Postecoglou ’s table-topping Celtic players he is planning for facing on Saturday - but the BALL BOYS in Glasgow's east end.

The Leith side head to Glasgow to take on the champions but Johnson fears it won’t be as simple as 11 v 11. The Easter Road boss is a huge fan of Postecoglou’s free-flowing style, but he’s just as big an admirer of the way the Parkhead gaffer has primed his squad of schoolboy assistants perched round the pitch perimeter to serve up a fresh size 5 Mitre as soon as the ball goes out of play, ensuring Celtic ’s rapid-fire attacks never stop.

And so concerned is he by the brisk ball boys, the Hibs chief admits he’s even had to rethink his line-up ahead of today’s trip along the M8. Johnson said: "It's a really big challenge. It’s not just the team you’re playing; it’s the stadium, it’s the ball boys – because they’re fantastic – and the tempo that Celtic create. We have to match the tempo, switch on to the opposition’s tempo, and then play our way.

"I know Parkhead is a difficult place to go, but we’re really excited to go and test ourselves. Can we create the same metrics in possession and out of possession that we had in our recent sequence of wins? If we do, then we give ourselves every chance of winning the game."

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