04.10.2014 02:30 h

Celtic take Euro confidence boost into Hamilton clash

Celtic defender Emilio Izaguirre believes his side's recent form has given the Glasgow giants a confidence boost as they adapt to a new style of play.

The Hoops have had a stuttering start to the season as they stumbled out of the Champions League while their league form sees them sitting in fifth place, five points behind leaders Dundee United, albeit with two games in hand on the Tangerines, who lost 2-0 at Kilmarnock on Friday.

Celtic's midweek Europa League victory over Dinamo Zagreb saw them secure three wins in a row for the first time since manager Ronny Deila took charge in the summer.

Now they will chase another victory at home to high-flying Hamilton Academical on Sunday, and defender Izaguirre believes the Scottish champions have now turned the corner after a difficult start and says the team can now approach the rest of the season with a renewed sense of self-belief.

"We showed a great mentality and worked very hard for the win. Dinamo are a great team so we're very happy to have won," the Honduran international said after the 1-0 defeat of the Croatian side at Celtic Park.

"Dinamo have maybe played together for a few years now but we are a new team with a new manager and new players but we are looking better every day.

"We're confident now and we can bring that into the next game.

"The manager was happy with the performance but now we're all looking forward to the next game. The whole team played well. Kris Commons got his goal and (goalkeeper) Craig Gordon had a great game.

"The win against Dinamo has put us in a good position and we can progress from there by working hard in training."

Swedish striker John Guidetti, who was ineligible for the Europa League match, returns to the Celtic squad against Hamilton while Adam Matthews and Charlie Mulgrew are close to a return from injury.

Elsewhere on Sunday, Inverness Caledonian Thistle host rivals Ross County in the Highland derby at the Caledonian Stadium.

The two sides have had contrasting starts to the campaign with Inverness sitting in third place coming into the weekend while Ross County are bottom of the table having lost seven of their eight opening matches of the season.

However, County will be boosted by last week's win over Dundee while Inverness will be looking to bounce back from their 3-2 defeat to Aberdeen.

Fixtures (1400 GMT unless otherwise stated)