Hughes hopes Caley halt Hoops
John Hughes has urged his Inverness players to win their individual battles against Celtic on Saturday.
Both sides will meet again in next week's William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final clash at Hampden Park but the dress rehearsal in the Scottish Premiership will see the visitors, who already have the Scottish League Cup in the trophy room, look to take a step closer to the treble.
However, Hughes is looking for his players to stand up to the league leaders, who are seven clear of Aberdeen with a game in hand.
The former Celtic defender said: "We need to go and express ourselves. We can't be shrinking violets.
"It is easy talking and then as soon as the curtain opens, at kick-off, we forget to play and we freeze.
"And they are not going to let us play. You have to earn the right to play, to get on the ball and take the game to Celtic.
"There is no excuse for not being as fit, as quick and as strong as them and you need to have that belief when you look at your opponent right in the eye because that is what it comes down to.
"That you are going to get the better of him and if you have more of your players getting the better of them then you have a right chance of winning the game.
"So hopefully that will be the case."
Third-placed Caley beat the Hoops 1-0 in August, albeit the visitors were much changed as Ronny Deila continued to tinker with selections after taking over as boss in the summer.
Inverness then lost by the same margin at Parkhead in November but Hughes is confident of achieving a double over his former club before their semi-final meeting, although he believes this weekend's game will have "nothing to do with next week".
He said: "It is just a case of picking the right team, the preparation has been done and we are ready to go.
"Let's see if we can take Celtic's scalp again.
"It is two good football teams, who want to get the ball down and pass it, want to play the game properly. So I am looking forward to it.
"Can we beat them? Yes, I think we can.
"But we are going to have to be at our best because we are playing against the best team in Scotland. They are going for the treble.
"They have the best players and they play the best football and that comes from the coach and coaching staff.
"It is one thing having the best players but you still have to coach them and that takes a lot of work on the training pitch."
Celtic midfielder Stuart Armstrong is looking forward to taking another step towards the league title against third-placed Caley, who he believes to be one the best footballing sides in the table.
He said: "It's always good to play a team that passes the ball and play the same style as we do.
"It is more exciting for us and the fans, instead of a team of sitting in.
"We are confident, we have a nice little gap in the league and will hopefully extend that tomorrow and obviously the cup semi-final against Inverness is the week after so we are in a good position and confidence is high."
Source: PA
