Celtic midfielder Callum McGregor is happy with the fitness level of the Bhoys squad and has explained how important the club's friendly fixtures are for attaining full match fitness.
The Bhoys will take on SK Vorwarts Steyr, Bohemians Prague, Sparta Prague and Shamrock Rovers in friendly matches before getting down to the real action against Armenian outfit Alashkert in the Champions League first qualifying round.
McGregor is of the opinion that pre-season has helped the squad grow in fitness and the intensity in the training sessions is proof that the players are a lot fitter now than they were two years ago.
The 25-year-old said that the friendly games are as important as the competitive ones as far as fitness is concerned and is confident that the games will help the team get ready for the big clash in Armenia.
The Scottish international told the club's official website: “Especially on the back of the last two pre-seasons, everyone has come back to a good level of fitness and you can tell with the intensity of the sessions that the boys are a lot fitter than they were perhaps two years ago.
“They are just as important in terms of fitness levels.
“We obviously have big games coming up as we’re straight into the Champions League qualifiers, so we have to be at peak fitness and we have to try and get as much out of these pre-season games as we can in terms of fitness and game-time for the boys.
"Over the piece, the opponents are getting better each time and it adds to our quality and fitness levels so when we get to that game in Armenia, we’ll be flying.”
McGregor, who enjoyed a successful season under Rodgers the last term, will look to put up the same kind of performance this year too.
