Charlie Mulgrew has insisted that Celtic are ready to do their talking on the pitch in Malmo tomorrow night.

The Parkhead side were criticised in the aftermath of their 3-2 win over the Swedes last Wednesday night for the manner in which they approached the tie.

Malmo goalkeeper Johan Wiland branded the Hoops players 'pigs' and accused them of behaving like 'children.'

Celtic, rightly, have refused to add further comments to inflame what is already bound to be a tense 90 minutes and Mulgew believes the only thing that will matter in the aftermath of the tie is who won it.

“That’s up to them," said the versatility player. "They say what they want to say. They speak. But we’ll just concentrate on doing our talking on the pitch.

“If they want to say that then that’s up to them. We’ll not get involved in anything like that.

“We need to do our talking on the pitch, that’s the only place to do it, to be honest.”

Mulgrew is one of the players in the current Celtic squad who has performed at Champions League level and he knows what it takes to get into the group stages of the competition.

The tie is finely balanced but he, like his manager, is confident that Celtic can see the game out.

“There’s a belief," he said. "But we know the hard work that goes into it and we know how difficult these games can be.

“Both teams are fighting for the same thing and we have to approach it with the right attitude, be up for the game and be up for the battle.

“I wouldn’t say we would’ve failed if we don’t make it.

“But we know the whole pre-season focus goes into these games. It’s a lot of work to get to where we are just now and we want to get over the line.”

"Everything does come down to this. We’ll be doing all we can to get there. We’ll prepare right, as good as we can, leave no stone unturned.

“I’m not going to sit and say what we do need to do and what we don’t need to do as far as scoring’s concerned.

“What we do need to do is turn up and perform and be ready for the challenge. If that we means scoring a goal or keeping a clean sheet, then we’ll look to do what’s required.”

Meanwhile, Mulgrew has also insisted that he is keen to extend his contract with the club.

The Scotland internationalist is among those whom the club have opened talks with and while it is early days, Mulgrew has insisted that remaining with Celtic will always be his first option.

“My agent’s dealing with it," he said. "Things are ongoing. He’s in contact with the club and I’m just waiting to hear. I’ll play it by ear, it’s early days.

“I’m happy here, staying with Celtic is my first choice. We’ll see what happens.”