In the grip of a big freeze, Celtic will look to put Morton’s Cup ambitions into cold storage this afternoon as the Greenock side head to Celtic Park.

With a 5.30am start for a snow plough on Friday morning, the work on clearing pavements and the walkway around the stadium got underway yesterday was Brendan Rodgers keen to ensure that the game went ahead.

Warren Hawke, Morton’s chief executive, issued a strongly worded statement urging the game to be called off amidst fears of supporter safety travelling to and from the ground but Celtic, having invested time and manpower in clearing the footprint of the stadium, were intent on getting the game on.

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“I don’t think there is any reason why it can’t be other than a bit of snow lying around,” said Rodgers. “The pitch is great, it’s playable and the guys have done a great job. The stadium is fine.

“There has been a lot of work inside and outside so the game will be fine. The other question are the pavements but the council and everyone else is working hard to make sure they are safe.”

Having done enough to ensure that the pitch and the stadium footprint around it is safe to continue, the same single-mindedness is evident in Rodgers as he looks to take Celtic into the business end of the season.

In what is a pivotal month for the club’s ambition of realising a second successive Treble – a feat never accomplished by any Celtic side – Rodgers has warned that he will not be giving shirts away for the sake of it.

It was expected that Marvin Compper, crocked since his arrival in the January transfer window, would be given some game time while Patrick Roberts too is edging his way back to fitness. But Rodgers is adamant that first and foremost it is about winning and winning in a particular way between now and the end of the season.

“Marvin is in the squad, but it’s not a fitness stage of the season,” said the Celtic manager. “I know we have players coming back. But these are not fitness games now.

“They are games to win. It’s great to have the availability of players.

“Players are coming back, but the games are to win and win well.

“We won’t be chucking players in just to get fit.”

And to underline the gravity with which he has given the arrival of Jim Duffy’s side, Rodgers was at Cappielow this week to watch Morton lose to Livington in order to get a closer look at the personnel he can expect to see this afternoon.

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Manchester City’s exit from the FA Cup to Wigan underlined the potential for a David v Goliath result and Rodgers does not take any game lightly at Celtic.

“This is the part of the season I really enjoy now,” said Rodgers. “We work hard to get to this position - the business end of the season. And now we can really focus in with that little bit more time to prepare as well.

“Now you see the real focus in the team. The real hunger in the team. Our first job now is to get to the semi-final.

“If we do that we are back to Hampden, which we like. But we know and expect a tough game tomorrow.

“I went to see Morton the other night against Livingston.

“It was absolutely freezing. I have been there a few times but hospitality was brilliant.

“I drive away from that game and I think that I have just watched a game with two honest sets of players doing their very best. Two coaches, one up in coming in Davie Hopkins, and one who has great experience in Jim Duffy. I never knew Jim but I knew of Jim because when I worked at Chelsea as a youth coach, Jim had worked there previously before me and a lot of the older players who worked with him spoke very highly of him as a coach.

“He has probably been unfortunate for whatever reason as to why he hasn’t had the reason to manage a bigger club. Morton are fortunate to have someone with that quality working with them and I think his experience really helps the team. Young Jamie Lindsay went there and had a good spell with Jim and they have done brilliantly so get the results to get to the quarter-finals and semi-finals last year.”

Celtic’s game against Dundee which did fall victim of the weather this week has been rearranged for April 4th.

There was some suggestion that it could have been played this coming week given the availability of a free week, but Rodgers has declared himself content with the agreed new date.

“It is the agreement between both teams,” he said.

“If it wasn’t going to be in this period then it has to be in there after the international break. It gives us a good week to prepare for the Rangers game. Hopefully we get the job done today and then we have a week to prepare.”