Celtic: Captain Scott Brown says fight for final places will keep players motivated

Celtic captain Scott Brown hailed his side's "professional" Scottish Cup semi-final win over Rangers

Captain Scott Brown insists Scottish Cup final starting jerseys are at stake in Celtic's five remaining league fixtures.

Brendan Rodgers' treble-chasing side will face Aberdeen in the showpiece, after booking their return to Hampden Park with a 2-0 win over Rangers.

Celtic have already romped to the Premiership title, and eased past the Dons in November's League Cup final.

"Everyone's playing for a place in the final now," Brown told BBC Scotland.

"We've got five games before that. Aberdeen have done really well to get to the final; they're a great team, but so are we. If we turn up on the day you know what can happen. It showed [against Rangers].

"We fancy our chances in every game, but we need to make sure we keep hitting those heights in the next five."

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A dominant first-half display laid the platform for Celtic's fourth victory of the season over their city rivals.

Callum McGregor slotted home a sumptuous finish from the edge of the box, before Scott Sinclair's 51st-minute penalty put the tie beyond Rangers.

The Ibrox side did create a string of final-quarter chances - most falling to Kenny Miller - but Brown says he was never concerned Celtic would let the game slip from their grasp.

"It was a very professional performance from start to finish," he said. "We knew the last five, 10 minutes they were going to put a lot of pressure on us but we dealt with that really, really well, and could have scored a couple more goals.

Leigh Griffiths earned Celtic a penalty, which Scott Sinclair converted

"It's great pace from Leigh Griffiths for the second goal as well - great ball down the line from Patrick Roberts, wee touch, we got a penalty.

"Sometimes when you're under the cosh and you've got people like Patrick to control the game and Leigh to run in behind - it's a phenomenal feeling and a great win for the fans as well.

"People are scared of our counter attack if they press us high up the park, we've got a lot of pace and people that can pick passes. When you bring on people like Tom Rogic and James Forrest, it shows you what a top quality bench we have got. Everyone's fighting for a first-team place and it's the way it should be at Celtic."