Brendan Rodgers has hailed Leigh Griffiths as the Celtic striker edges towards the 100-goal mark for the club.

Griffiths netted his 96th goal for the club when he came off the bench on Tuesday evening to score the winner at Firhill.

The Hoops manager has been criticised at times by the Celtic support for overlooking the striker at times but he was fulsome in his praise of the stats enjoyed by the former Hibs forward.

“It’s 96 goals in 120 starts which is phenomenal, an incredible ratio,” enthused Rodgers.

“He’s a fantastic goalscorer, from 25 yards in he’s sensational really. He would have started against Brechin but was injured for that.

“We felt we had to nurse him into the game the other night but the plan was always to get him on at some point. But his energy is great and it worked well for us having players around him.

“He took his goal really well. Inside the box or outside, he knows where the goals are. His numbers and stats all point to that.”

Ironically, Hibs are the only top flight club that Griffiths has not scored against – “he supports them, doesn’t he?,” joked Rodgers – but in all seriousness Celtic can expect a robust afternoon against Neil Lennon’s side this afternoon.

Celtic saw off Hibs on their way to winning the League Cup but have been held on the two occasions they have faced them in the league this season.

“Yeah, they’ve always been tough,” said Rodgers. “The games have tended to come on the back of busy schedules for us but they played well at Celtic Park.

“We were ahead twice in the game but they showed good spirit.

“The League Cup semi-final was a good game. I felt the last result at Easter Road wasn’t a true reflection in the game as I thought we were really dominant for 75 minutes without having many chances against us.

“We took our foot off the gas a wee bit. It ended up 2-2 but I think Lenny said afterwards he wasn’t so happy with the performance.

“But they’re always tough games.

“Hibs are a good side and are competitive with good talent.”