My fringe players are always ready to go, insists Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou is comfortable that his fringe players are ready to go when called upon amid an unusually gradual start to the season.

With automatic qualification to the Champions League for the first time in nine years secured, Celtic have only played two games so far while the vast majority of their rivals have been involved in Premier Sports Cup or European action.

When Hearts play in the Europa League qualifiers next Thursday, Celtic will have played the least amount of games of any team in the Scottish league.

The cinch Premiership champions are accustomed to a hectic schedule of midweek action and Ange Postecoglou recently admitted he had been treating the first stage of the campaign like an extended pre-season.

Last summer, the former Australia head coach was struggling to put together a squad while playing European qualifiers but 12 months on he has more than enough players to meet the demands of the league campaign.

That has meant players such as Carl Starfelt, James Forrest, Mikey Johnston and new signing Alexander Bernabei have yet to start their season but Postecoglou is happy with how everyone has been preparing.

“There’s no challenges for me,” he said ahead of Sunday’s trip to face Kilmarnock. “The challenge is for the players to continue to train every day and keep the performance levels high every time they play, so when the inevitable opportunity comes, they are ready to take it.

“At the moment our training levels have been very good, very high standard, very competitive, very intense. Because we only have a game a week, so some players aren’t playing and to compensate for that they have got to work hard in training.

“The inevitability is their opportunity will come and that opportunity