Celtic manager Ange Postecoglu has admitted his side are "really looking forward" to facing Everton in November.
The Blues were confirmed as the replacements for Rangers in the Sydney Super Cup after the Old Firm side dropped out of the tournament. They were initially due to play their fierce rivals overseas for the first time, but they confirmed their withdrawal from the tournament in April.
On Thursday evening, Everton were confirmed as the side to step in to replace the Glasgow club after a few days of speculation. Frank Lampard's side are due to face Celtic on November 20th before taking on Western Sydney Warriors three days later.
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Postecoglu reacted to Everton's involvement in the upcoming tournament by telling CelticTV: "Yeah super, its fantastic opposition, Premier League opposition. We're really looking forward to it.
"The Premier League is one of the leagues that's very, very popular down under. So having us against such a big club is great."
Everton have already garnered a large fanbase in Australia thanks in no small part to the popularity of club hero Tim Cahill. The Blues were last in the country back in 2010 on a pre-season tour which saw them win matches against Sydney FC, Melbourne Heart and Brisbane Roar.
Lampard's men will first face Celtic at the 83,500 capacity Accor Stadium in Sydney on Sunday, November 20. They will then play Western Sydney Wanderers - the current side of former Blue Jack Rodwell - at the CommBank Stadium on Wednesday, November 23. The event will start with Celtic playing against Sydney FC on November 17.
The tournament will take place shortly after the domestic season breaks for the World Cup, with the Blues playing Bournemouth on November 12th. The manager has confirmed that he is looking to take a "strongest possible squad".
Lampard remarked: “We are really looking forward to travelling to Australia later this year. The winter World Cup has provided us with this opportunity to visit an amazing country and play against really strong opposition. We’ve also got a lot of passionate Evertonians in Australia and we can’t wait to catch up with them. Other than the players on duty at the World Cup, we will be taking our strongest possible squad. This promises to be a very worthwhile tour on every level, and we are delighted to be making the trip.”
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