Ross County co-manager Stuart Kettlewell feels the Staggies can regain some much-needed confidence with a spirited showing against Premiership champions Celtic in Dingwall on Sunday.
County are without a win from their last eight matches and face a confident Hoops side sitting top of the table above Rangers on goal difference, with their place in the Europa League last-32 after the turn of the year already secured.
The Staggies were on the receiving end of a humiliating 6-0 loss when they faced Neil Lennon’s men at Parkhead last month.
Kettlewell accepts the odds are stacked firmly against his side but he is determined to give Celtic a stiffer test on this occasion.
He said: “I have mentioned before that the games against Rangers and Celtic are a separate entity as far as we are concerned.
“If you speak to most managers, they will tell you exactly the same.
“The approach to the game and mindset is different from what it was going down to Paisley.
“We have to think about playing a different way and accept there will be periods of possession and players not put under pressure in certain areas of the pitch.
“We have conceded 10 goals in two games against the Old Firm and we have to make ourselves much more difficult to play against.
“As much as we’re playing against a team that’s flying high, and beating teams such as Lazio away from home, it can be a great foundation to build confidence.
“We need to show a belief in what we do. We are going to have to be resilient on Sunday.”
County have the worst defensive record in the league, with Kettlewell insisting the Staggies cannot afford to show any slackness against the Glasgow outfit if they are to take anything.
He added: “Defending our half of the pitch is something we’re not doing well enough at this point. It’s always the foundation of every performance and every result we’re going to get.
“Talking about it is very easy. It’s much more difficult to do when factors change in the game.
“Celtic’s positioning, their quality and their pace will affect what we do.
“But we probably feel at this moment in time we can get a little bit more out of our entire team – and not concede so many chances or be so passive.
“These are all aspects that are going to have to be right on the money if we are going to try to achieve a result against Celtic.”
