Celtic: Boss Ronny Deila backs his players in treble bid

Ronny Deila's Celtic side face Dundee United in the Scottish Cup quarter final this weekend

Celtic manager Ronny Deila reckons his in-form side have what it takes to secure the treble this season.

A win over St Johnstone on Wednesday night will take Deila's team nine points clear at the top of the table.

They are already in the League Cup final and are also in the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup.

"If we don't do it then we are not good enough but high goals gets high demands and good performances - and this group can handle it," Deila said.

"I think we are the best team," the Norwegian added. "If we don't get to our full potential then I will be disappointed but the cup is the cup.

"You can get a red card, or be very unlucky, but if the performance is bad and we lose because we are not good enough then I will be a little bit disappointed because I believe we can do it.

"I didn't say we were going to win the Europa League because that was not realistic, but it is realistic to win the treble."

Should Deila achieve his treble dream, he will join Jock Stein and Martin O'Neill as the only managers in the club's history to complete the domestic clean sweep.

Dundee United are Celtic's Scottish Cup opponents this weekend and the Tannadice men also await Deila's side in the League Cup final.

Celtic secured a 4-0 win over Aberdeen in Glasgow on Sunday to go six points clear in the title race

The treble is within touching distance for the champions, but the manager insists his team will not have failed if they fall short of their target.

"You can't say that because then I would put too many demands on our players," he added.

"This is a big, big chance, the players can make history.

"The players have done so many things, played in the Champions League and won the league, but no players have won the treble.

"We have a real chance now so we just have to keep focused."

Following their Europa League exit at the hands of Inter Milan on Thursday night in Italy, Celtic struck a major blow in the title race when they hammered nearest challengers Aberdeen 4-0 on Sunday.

And ahead of the meeting with St Johnstone in Glasgow, Deila joked that the team's preparations have been slightly different this week.

"What we have worked on is lying on the couch more so they have the rest," he said

"They were very tired after the game. Aberdeen were fresh and had the belief that they could beat us. The players felt heavy-legged but as the goals came so did the energy and by the end we were running over them.

"It is a very important game against St Johnstone. If we lose that game, the game at the weekend is almost nothing.

"So it is important that we get a good result."