Celtic 3 Dundee United 0: Celtic manager Gordon Strachan claimed his side's goal-scoring form was the main reason to be positive ahead of the Champions League clash with AC Milan at Parkhead on Wednesday.
The champions went back to the top of the Scottish Premier League yesterday with a 3-0 win over Dundee United in front of just over 57,000 fans at Celtic Park.
Scott McDonald's hat-trick - his first in senior football - took the Parkhead side's tally to 27 in eight league games.
On three occasions Celtic have scored five times and it is that impressive scoring record which Strachan hopes his side can continue against the Serie A giants.
The Celtic manager said: "If you always look like scoring goals then you have a chance of winning.
"In some games last year we found it very hard to make chances, this season we have made numerous chances so that is the satisfying thing as well as getting a good result before we play AC Milan."
Despite McDonald's hat-trick Strachan preferred to highlight the contribution of Republic of Ireland international midfielder Aiden McGeady. He said: "I thought Aiden was terrific. The more we gave him the ball, the better he became."
McDonald is likely to be without strike partner Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink for Wednesday's game after the Dutchman had to go off before half-time with a hamstring injury.
Celtic now have 19 points after eight games, the same as Rangers who fought back from a goal down at Motherwell to earn a 1-1 draw with a Kris Boyd penalty.
CELTIC: Boruc, Perrier Doumbe, Caldwell, McManus, Naylor, Scott Brown, Hartley, Donati (Sno 78), McGeady, McDonald (Zurawski 82), Vennegoor of Hesselink (Killen 37). Subs not used: Mark Brown, Kennedy, Riordan, O'Dea. Booked: Hartley. Goals: McDonald 7, 67, 72.
DUNDEE UTD: Szamotulski, Dillon, Wilkie, Dods, Robson, Flood (Cameron 61), David Robertson (Duff 46), Gomis (Robb 46), Jordan Robertson, Hunt, Bauben. Subs not used: McLean, Kerr, Kenneth, Johnny Russell. Booked: Dods.
Referee: D McDonald(Scotland).
