Kilmarnock midfielder David Watson insists his side will approach Sunday’s home clash with Celtic full of belief, despite still searching for their first win of the Premiership campaign.
The 20-year-old was speaking on Tuesday night at Fir Park, shortly after captaining Scotland U21S in a 0-2 defeat to Portugal in a Euro 2027 qualifier.
The Killie academy product admitted that the young Scots “lacked that wee bit of quality in the final third” but quickly switched his attention back to domestic matters.
“I know it’s a quick turnaround, but I love playing games,” he said. “We’ve got a good challenge on Sunday and I’m looking forward to it.
“Our home record’s really good, so we’ll fancy our chances and we’ll be as positive as we can.
“We’ll try and put our authority and our stamp on the game.”
Kilmarnock have opened the league season with four consecutive draws, and now Stuart Kettlewell’s side face their toughest test yet against a Celtic team who already have 10 points from 12.
However, all is not rosy in Brendan Rodgers’ garden; Celtic lost and failed to replace Adam Idah on deadline day, notably missing out on Kasper Dolberg, who opted for a return to his former club Ajax.
The Hoops scrambled together a deal for free agent Kelechi Iheanacho, Rodgers’ former player at Leicester City, after the deadline passed. However, the Celtic faithful remain angry at their board and are planning protests in response to a disappointing transfer window.
Watson, who has now passed the 100-appearance mark for his boyhood club, believes both his club experience and the lessons of international football will stand him in good stead.
“A lot of those Portuguese boys play in European competitions and they are high-profile players,” he noted.
“Celtic are the same, maybe even more experienced, so you can definitely learn from nights like this and take it into a game like Sunday.”
While the defeat stung, Watson took pride in leading his country for the first time at this level.
With a smirk, he said: “I loved it, it’s a great bunch of lads. I’ve captained youth sides at Killie before, but to wear the armband for Scotland was special.”
Becoming a more important cog in the Killie machine season upon season, Watson’s performance on Sunday will be a big part in whether the Ayrshire side can emerge with a home result result, or whether Celtic will drown out the noise from their away support and return to winning ways after two 0-0 draws back-to-back against Kairat Almaty as they exited the UEFA Champions league, and Russell Martin’s struggling Rangers.
