Nick Montgomery is adamant he is ready for one of the biggest test of his coaching career when Celtic come to Easter Road.

The Hibs manager admits Brendan Rodgers’ side will be among the best teams he has faced, but is ‘relishing’ the chance to topple the champions this afternoon. Montgomery surveyed the Premiership leaders run La Liga heavyweights Atletico Madrid all the way in the Champions League on Wednesday, but insists watching the 2-2 draw at Celtic Park only increased his excitement for an enticing challenge.

Montgomey thrived on turning Australian minnows Central Coast Mariners into A-League champions before moving to Edinburgh, and has grand designs on engineering another upset against the Parkhead club.

“I’m relishing it,” said the 41-year-old. “I’m a young coach and I had success overseas with a very young team and a really small budget, and it is no different here in terms of playing the big teams.

“You know that they have a lot of quality in strength and depth but those are the games where you want to test yourself. As a player, I loved playing in the big games and, as a coach, when I came to this club, these were the games that everyone talked about and for me it is something I’m looking forward to.

“Celtic are one of the best teams I have coached against, for sure. You only need to see them midweek when they were playing against Atletico Madrid in the champions league.

“For me, this is a great opportunity to go up against a very, very good coach in Brendan Rodgers, who has had a lot of success in the Premier League, and in the SFPL. It’s something I’m definitely looking forward to and I can’t wait for the game.”

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Hibs were on the wrong end of a 4-0 result last weekend at Ibrox, and now face an ever bigger task in overcoming the team Montgomery insists are the best in the land. But did seeing them match up with an elite European side leave him watching through the cracks of his fingers?

“No,” he insisted. “They are a top quality team and Brendan has done a fantastic job with them since Ange left. They are playing some fantastic football, and they are very attack minded, but they also conceded two goals. Atletico are a very good team, though, and I thought the result at the end was probably fair.

“But it was two very, very good teams and those are the teams you want to play against. This weekend it isn’t Celtic Park, we are at Easter Road, in front of our fans and our family, and we are really looking forward to that atmosphere. It is a good game for us.”