Angelo Alessio hailed Celtic as the best in the business yesterday as he eyes a Kilmarnock goal rush now his side have stopped conceding them.
The Rugby Park gaffer was speaking on Thursday in his pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday's Premiership showdown in the east end of Glasgow.
Killie make the trip up the M77 in confident mood having won three of their last four games – keeping clean sheets in all of those contests.
It's a remarkable turnaround for Alessio who was under early-season pressure following a humiliating exit to Welsh outfit Connah's Quay Nomads in the Europa League and a dire league defeat at Hamilton Accies.
Italian boss Alessio is pleased with the defensive grit being shown, although he is keen to see his side become even more of a threat in attack.
However, Neil Lennon's reigning champions will pose a different test entirely for Killie who have developed a useful habit of proving a tough nut to crack and beat Hibernian 2-0 in their last outing.
He said: "Celtic have won the league eight years in a row. It is a big club and they have a big squad of good players and good talent.
"For us, it is a tough game. Celtic at the moment are the best team in Scotland. It's very early to say if they will win the Premiership but I think at the same time, they stay near the top.
"We are confident but we stay compact because mistakes will cost us the game. We have to work hard on the pitch on Sunday.
"The team has taken a good step. Four games with clean sheets, and two wins in a row, it was important to keep a compactness.
"But at the same time we have to improve in attack. The last game against Hibernian, we saw something we have to improve.
"We work very hard on the defensive line but we have to improve up front.
"It will be good for me and my team to play this type of game and it will let us see how much we have improved."
Alessio's previously visited Celtic Park in 2013 when he was assistant to Antonio Conte at Serie A giants Juventus who beat the Hoops 3-0 in a Champions League tie.
"It was a great atmosphere in the stadium," Alessio added. "It was a tough game. We played very well in that game and Celtic played very well; they had opportunities to score."
