IT'S the Hampden hat-trick Leigh Griffiths does not want to score.

The striker knows all about cup finals at the National Stadium. Or, to be more precise, the agonies they can bring.

Which is just one more incentive for him to fire Celtic to glory when they face Dundee United in the League Cup Final on Sunday.

Like manager Ronny Deila, it will be his first chance to celebrate lifting a trophy in front of the Hoops fans at Hampden.

Unlike his boss, it has taken Griffiths over 14 months to get the chance.

But, given how often he has come close without success during a career which has taken him from Livingston to Dundee to Wolves to Hibs and finally to Paradise, it will only make victory this weekend all the sweeter.

Along the way, the 24-year-old has had more than his share of Hampden heartache.

He was part of the Hibs side which lost 3-0 to Celtic in the 2013 Scottish Cup Final, having gone down 5-1 to Hearts in the final 12 months earlier.

Indeed, the only cup he has got his hands on was the Challenge Cup with Dundee five years ago.

Little wonder there will be no-one hungrier for glory on Sunday than the much-travelled Celt.

Griffiths opened the scoring for the Hoops in their 2-0 semi-final win over Rangers, so has already played a major part in getting them here.

That helped him push past John Guidetti and Stefan Scepovic to become first-choice striker in Deila's team.

But that won't stop him fretting over his inclusion on Sunday.

Recent problems with an ankle have already denied him his chance on big occasions, including the Europa League tie against Inter Milan in the San Siro.

So Griffiths will be relieved when he hears his name read out by the manager and he safely gets on to the newly-laid Hampden pitch.

He said: "It will be my first cup final with the club, and I just hope the gaffer selects me.

"But it will be a tough decision for him because John (Guidetti) did well when he came on at Tannadice."

It would be harsh on Griffiths, and a major surprise to everyone, if Deila did put anyone in ahead of the on-form hitman

He got his first medal with the club last season when they clinched their third successive league championship, within two months of him moving here in a £1million transfer from Wolves.

But Griffiths did not feel he had done enough to truly feel he had played his part in achieving a title which was

already in the bag before he arrived.

This season, he has been an integral part of the Deila side which is chasing down a Treble, scoring seven goals in 12 games since he forced his way back into the manager's plans during the festive season.

His has been a major contributor in pushing Celtic to the brink of tangible success, and Griffiths has no intention of easing up on his strike rate now.

Sensibly, he refuses to put himself under any extra pressure by setting any target for his own total this term.

"Obviously, scoring goals is what I'm all about," he said without a hint of arrogance.

"But I just want to continue to play well. If I'm selected, I will just try to help the team as much as I can."

At this stage of the season, every goal takes the Hoops closer to their aim of a clean sweep of prizes, the first instalment of which can come their way this weekend. Griffiths headed the equaliser which kept Celtic in the Scottish Cup at Tannadice last Sunday.

That draw means the Hoops will now play United in a replay a week today, making it four meetings with Jackie

McNamara's side in less than two weeks.

The hackles have already been raised after Sunday's fiery confrontation, during which the striker saw a penalty saved before his dogged determination paid off with his goal to pull Celtic level. But Griffiths is convinced the League Cup

Final will bear no relation to that clash, simply because a trophy will be presented at the end of it.

He said: "This is a one-off game, and we know both teams will be up for it. We will pick ourselves up from the disappointment of drawing at Tannadice last weekend and we will go again."

Griffiths concedes that being reduced to nine men while Celtic retained 10 for so much of the match, United will consider their Scottish Cup draw a moral victory. He admitted: "I think they were happy with the draw, given the circumstances," he admitted.

"We were disappointed we didn't win that cup tie.

"But we'll put that behind us and focus on winning on Sunday at Hampden before we think about the replay."

United achieved the hard-fought draw on the back of defeating Celtic 2-1 when they previously met in the league at Tannadice.

Once again, Griffiths was the only Celt to get on the scoresheet that December day, though his late counter could not prevent three points slipping from their grasp.

Since then, the Hoops have enjoyed a much-needed winter break.But their fixture schedule has been penal, and drawing their Scottish Cup tie has only added to that.

A cup final always has the effect of re-energising even the most fatigued of limbs, and Griffiths said: "Right

after the game at Tannadice last weekend, the manager said to us in the dressing room we have got massive games coming up, starting on Sunday, with the chance to collect silverware.

"We have to be ready for that because Dundee United will make it hard for us, as they did last weekend."

Certainly, United showed they were not prepared to stand back and allow Celtic to play the kind of football which can destroy opponents.

The condition of the pitch would have made their quick-passing game difficult to execute, anyway.

The prospect of a new, flat surface at Hampden is much more conducive to good football. But there are other problems to overcome, and they could include the absence of key defender, Virgil van Dijk, if he fails in his appeal to have his red card from last weekend overturned.

Nir Bitton is also a doubt as he battles to recover from the ankle twist he sustained on the poor pitch.

But Griffiths believes this is where the strength in depth which surrounds him in training every day can tell.

He said: "We've got players who can come in and do a job."