Sam Foley has urged his St Mirren team-mates not to show Celtic too much respect when they take on the Ladbrokes Premiership leaders.
Saints gave a good account of themselves in a 2-0 defeat at Celtic Park in October but Foley expressed his frustration in the dressing room afterwards.
And the Englishman has warned that they must have full belief they can take something from the game when they host Neil Lennon’s side on Boxing Day.
“At their place it was disappointment really,” the 33-year-old said.
“We lost the game. We played well but I thought we could have played a lot better.
“It was our own downfall at the end of the game. We gave the ball away too sloppy and just gifted them possession at times when we worked it really well into good areas.
“After the game I was a bit disappointed and I let the players know how I felt.
“It was a new experience for me playing there and I have got respect for Celtic as a football club but when it comes down to a game, 11 v 11, that goes out the window and it’s game on.
“I think if we can take a bit of that mentality into that fixture on Boxing Day, anything can happen.”
The former Newport, Yeovil, Port Vale and Northampton midfielder refuses to be overawed by facing the champions.
“There are probably preconceptions of what Celtic and Rangers are before you come up here,” he said.
“I came up here totally blind. I had played against big clubs before in the past. You might take away a photograph of you on the pitch with another player that you played against but those memories are just memories and it’s just a football match.
“If you can take in the belief that you can get something from the game, regardless of who it’s against, then you have got a chance.
“As soon as you walk on the pitch and you believe that you’re done, you are never going to win the game.
“They are massive clubs so they demand that respect. You go in the dressing room of pretty much any Scottish football club and half are Celtic fans, half are Rangers fans. That’s just how it is up here I suppose.
“When you come from the south it has probably given me a different viewpoint. It probably has benefited me.”
