Aberdeen have gone five games without a win but leading-scorer Adam Rooney insists Saturday’s trip to Parkhead holds no fears for the Dons.
The Irishman netted his seventh goal of the campaign in Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Motherwell with Scott McDonald’s second-half header earning Mark McGhee’s men a share of the spoils.
The Dons enjoyed a superb start to the season with eight league wins in a row but have not won since a 3-1 success against Hearts at Tynecastle more than a month ago.
But Derek McInnes’ men have already beaten Ronny Deila’s Hoops this season with last month’s 2-1 win at Pittodrie still fresh in the memory and Rooney is looking forward to another showdown with the league leaders.
He said: “Celtic is a massive game and they will be out to do us after we beat them the last time.
“We created chances against Motherwell and we just need to tighten up on defending set plays to go and get a good result.
“It’s disappointing when you come off the top but we just have to work harder to make sure we get back up there now.
“It gives us something to aim for. It’s still very early in the season. Everyone spoke to us about winning the title after six games but we said then it was too early for such talk.
“It’s exactly the same situation now so we just need to concentrate on what happens on Saturday to make sure we get a good result.
“It’s a tough place to go but it holds no fear for us going there.
“It can be an intimidating place for teams going to Parkhead but we have proved with some good performances against them in previous years we can do well.”
Rooney paid tribute to Aberdeen goalkeeper Danny Ward who earned the Dons a point with some stunning stops towards the end of the 1-1 draw with Motherwell.
He said: “Danny made a few excellent saves but he’s been brilliant since he came in here from Liverpool and you can see the quality he has.
“He has made a right few since he came in and we have two great goalkeepers here.
“Scott Brown will be disappointed not to get a chance after the great season he had last time but it shows the depth of the squad.
“I don’t think Danny has been at fault for any of the goals we lost all season and I’m sure he’ll keep improving.
“The last few games have tested everyone’s character at the club and he has stood up to that very well as we saw against Motherwell.”