THE League Cup Final may be looming for Celtic on Sunday at Hampden, but they have just as important a date – if a slightly less glamorous one – in Dingwall this evening.

That’s the message from Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou to his players as they gear up to face Ross County in the Highlands, looking to maintain the four-point gap between themselves and Premiership table-toppers Rangers - at the very least.

“I think it is [just as important as the League Cup Final],” Postecoglou said. “I know people talk about the Cup Final as a significant event and it is.

“But I don’t think Wednesday is any less for us. We’ve been in good form the last three months, our performances have been really good and we don’t want to lose that momentum.

“So it’s important we maintain that against Ross County.”

Maintaining their recent level of performance though is being made all the more difficult by the congested fixture list they are being forced to navigate, with the long trip north tonight hardly conducive to the best preparation for a Cup Final.

Postecoglou though is doing everything he can to not only mitigate the effects of the gruelling programme on his players, but also to maintain his own perspective on the issue.

“It is what it is,” he said. “Ultimately, we knew this is the schedule we were going to have.

“We are in a Cup Final and, when you are, you are going to have congestion with fixtures. Same as when in Europe and we wanted to be in both.

“That’s the price you pay, but I’m comfortable with it. We are focused on the Ross County game because it is a tough one for us.

“It’s important we perform well again and try to win. We’ll focus on the Final after that.

“Our processes are pretty clear and pretty good. We know the players and the most important thing is they get their recovery.

“My experience of these things, of working on away games and in the international games which has long trips, the advice is always that players get their best rest when they are in their own beds.

“So as often as you can, you try and get back home and give them the right kind of rest and not force things upon them.

“I know for the general public, hotels are a luxury. For us, they become a bit of a chore after a while and home comforts is what you seek. That’s what we try to give the players.”

Psotecoglou will again go into the game in Dingwall without a recognised striker, with Kyogo still out and Giorgios Giakoumakis also a couple of weeks away from a return to the squad following a procedure on his knee.

James Forrest will also be out after being forced off against Motherwell on Sunday, leaving Postecoglou a dilemma on how to configure his attack once again, after playing David Turnbull up top at the weekend.

“That’s why I am here,” he said. “If there were no problems, you could probably have an empty chair doing this job and you'd be talking to nobody.

“I often said it is what I love about the job. I don’t know what it says about me or my personality, but I love this aspect of the role.

“People talk about pressure and dealing with things, but I love the fact football always throws up problems that you have to find a way to work out. That’s what keeps me going.

“If I knew how it all ended, I probably wouldn’t be as passionate about it. It’s like already knowing the ending to a movie.

“I love the fact I have been doing this for 25 or 26 years and there is always something that comes along that challenges you on a daily or weekly basis. These are the periods I enjoy the most.

“When things are running smoothly and success comes, that’s maybe even when I get most irritated because I am itching for what the next challenge is.”