Ryan Jack faced the media ahead of facing Celtic on Sunday. Here's everything that he had to say.

Important to bounce back?

It’s obviously a massive game for us with three points in the league there for us to go and try to achieve.

‘It’s a chance to go and put down a marker in the first Old Firm. That’s always an aim you have as a team and a club. All those things are there for us and we want to do as well as we can.

Does the Europa League provide clarity on what’s ahead? 

Yes, I think a big aim of ours this season is to go and try to win the league. That’s a massive aim for us this season. 

This weekend is a step towards a big three points to put us in a good position going into the international break.

We are just focused on this game. Then we will reset during the international break then come back and see what comes after that.

Will Celtic be a different prospect under Brendan Rodgers? 

They are obviously a different style. There are some different personnel, maybe in the starting XI. We are just trying to focus on ourselves. We obviously had the game on Wednesday night and now we turn our attention and our focus to the game this weekend and trying to get three points.

Was going top before the international break an internal target? 

Look, we know if we win this there’s a good chance that we will be top of the league going into the break.

It’s a great start, if that’s the case. But we just want to focus on this game and make sure that we turn up and we try and get three points for ourselves, for the staff and for the fans.

READ MORE: Michael Beale on Celtic, PSV criticism and transfer deadline day 

Did you feel progress has been made domestically? 

Yes, definitely. We had a disappointing start at Rugby Park. There’s no doubt it wasn’t how we wanted to start the league campaign off. But in the league, we have bounced back well. We have looked strong, we have scored goals and not conceded any so we go into this game in good form in the league. 

Use the PSV result as motivation?

Obviously, Wednesday night was hugely disappointing for us. We wanted to go and get Champions League football for the club and for the fans and for ourselves. It wasn’t to be.

But it’s important we park that now. It’s not going to do us any favours taking that hangover into the weekend.

It’s a different competition so we have to park that and move on and focus on this game which is a massive game.

Thoughts on the Europa League draw? 

It’s a good group. Real Betis are a good Spanish side and it’s going to be a tough test. Sparta Prague we have played before and Limassol so it will be a tough group. But we are focusing on this weekend and after the international break when that comes around, we will get involved with that.

Can you help players with the reaction from the fans? 

Whether you are an older player or a new player signing for the club this summer you know when you sign up what the demands are and what you are getting into. I don’t think anyone needs us to tell them what’s coming at the weekend, especially on the back of Wednesday night. We are going to be fully prepared, fully focused and ready to go and try and get three points.

Response to fan criticism? 

Look, I think you can’t get too drawn into what people are saying on the outside. We see the energy and positivity from what we see daily on the training pitch and we need to stick together as a group. On the back of a bad result, there is going to be criticism. That’s what comes at a club of this size. It’s the same when you get a big win and there’s no better game for us to try and respond and put a few of those critics right.

Are you fit and ready to play?

If selected I’m ready to play. Pre-season for myself I came back a little later because of the international games in the summer. But I’ve had a full pre-season when I came back and I’ve had no issues. So I’m ready to go.

Any advice for the Old Firm debutants?

It’s going to be electric. It’s going to be a fast-paced start. They always are and the atmosphere will be bouncing. So they have to stay focused. As much as you want to play with that fire and have that side to you, it’s important to stay calm and focus on the game plan. It’s a great game for us. On the back of Wednesday, it’s a great chance for us to prove we are a good side and take that into the international break. 

Use the home support as an advantage? 

It’s been like that for the last few. We know what our fans will bring at the weekend. We need to use that to our advantage. We come out flying, we come out quick, run hard, tackle and put our bodies on the line. That’s the least our fans demand. That’s a given. First and foremost you have to show that side to our game and I believe we have the ability and capability to hurt Celtic.

Important to shrug off the disappointment from Wednesday? 

We spoke after the game and this game is too important to carry any hangover or anyone feeling sorry for themselves. I think it’s important to park that. We can deal with that at a later date when the Europa League group stage comes round. We can maybe look back and see where we went wrong and what we could have done better.

But right now is not the time to do that when we have got such a big game in front of us.