Hoops skipper Scott Brown has rallied the Hoops dressing room as they head into the crunch final months of the season.

The combative midfielder has labelled the remaining ten league games of the season as the biggest of Celtic’s season and he believes that the Parkhead side are ready to prove their credentials as the best team in the country.

It has been a stuttering few weeks for Ronny Deila’s side with Aberdeen taking full advantage of recent slips. The gap at the top has been cut to one point, with the pressure now on Celtic as they head to Firhill this Saturday at lunchtime.

Brown, though, has not shied away from the challenge that Celtic face as they seek to lift a fifth successive title. Appreciative of the fact that the team have underperformed at times this season, the 30-year-old has insisted that the players are ready and willing to take responsibility themselves for events on the pitch.

"We've got to take a lot of responsibility," said Brown. "It's us who are out on the park. But we're still top of the league and that's what people have got to remember.

“We know what it's about, we've been there and done it before and we are looking to do it again this year. The last ten games of the season are absolutely huge for us. They are the biggest of the season now but we can cope with that.

"Winning leagues is always hard, but it is all about how you cope with challenges. There are always challenges in a season and it's about how you bounce back. We've got the mentality in that dressing room and the belief that we can do it."

Celtic steadied the ship with the weekend win over Morton that set up an impending meeting against Rangers at Hampden next month.

It is a fair suggestion to make that Rangers would play that game tomorrow if they could in order to fully capitalise on their own elevated confidence and Celtic’s fragility.

The remaining six weeks offer the Parkhead side the chance to set up a run of form that will ensure they go into that game with momentum at their backs.

Certainly, though, as a grizzled veteran of many Old Firm clashes, Brown knows what it is all about.

The Scotland internationalist was keen to see Celtic paired with Mark Warburton’s side before the draw was made and he will relish the chance to lock horns with the Ibrox club.

Failure to overcome Rangers would be insufferable for the Hoops support who have been gleeful in their documentation of the club’s administration and then subsequent competitive irrelevance.

It is a tie in which Celtic have much more than their Rangers counterparts to lose.

The Ibrox side are a more persuasive and cohesive unit than they were 13 months ago when the teams last met, although on paper Celtic remain by far the stronger side.

The challenge, however, for the Parkhead men is to live up to an examination under pressure – something that they have toiled to do repeatedly this term.

Brown, though, believes that Deila’s side have what it takes to finish the season on a successful note.

“This is the time of the season when it comes down to rolling up the sleeves and getting on with it. What is said outside the club doesn’t matter to us. It is all about what we say to each other and how we get the best out of each other.

“This is the time of the season when we all know what is at stake and what has to be done. We are confident. We will just keep on going and look to do any talking on the park.”

Meanwhile, the midfielder has echoed Deila by insisting that Leigh Griffiths is ready to make the step up to international football.

The striker has bagged 34 goals in all competitions for Celtic this term but there has been a growing maturity about his performances at club level.

The Hoops boss believes that proving himself on the international stage is the next step for him and Brown is in agreement.

Gordon Strachan will name his squad for the forthcoming friendlies against the Czech Republic and Denmark later this afternoon and it is anticipated that Griffiths will get the chance to stake his claim for a jersey.

“Leigh has done it all season for us – and at every level,” he said. “He scores with his head, with his left foot, with his right foot and when the ball lands at his feet in the box you always have the feeling that he will score.

“He has had a brilliant season and hopefully he will get the chance to do it for Scotland as well.”