Celtic were knocked out of the Champions League away in London this week against an impressive Arsenal side, and what followed was a wave of criticism and negativity, directed straight at the Scottish game. In my opinion, it was way off the mark.

I have heard so many people phone in radio shows this week expressing their disappointment at the efforts of Tony Mowbray's men, and down south there was the typical headline or two about how easy it was for the Gunners, but let's not get carried away.

I have seen Arsenal this season, and they are playing as well as anyone right now, so Celtic should not lose confidence as a result of the scoreline. That match at the Emirates shouldn't be used as a marker to critique the Scottish game either. In fact, how many people said Everton were useless after they were dismantled 6-1 at home to Arsenal on the opening weekend of the English Premier League season? The answer is - very few.

Granted, Celtic would happily have taken on a lesser side this weekend than Hibs, so they could wipe the slate clean and get back on track, but they don't have that luxury. As a result of the fixture list, Mowbray faces his biggest SPL test to date, and he simply must pick his players up ahead of this vital clash.

In contrast, Hibs enter the game in good form and they will thoroughly examine Celtic's character, so The Bhoys better be ready, I watched John Hughes' new side come from a goal down at Falkirk last week, and as the game progressed they got better and better. Yogi started with an ambitious three-man frontline, which never quite worked in the first half, but he was brave enough to stick with his game-plan, and eventually it paid off. It'll be interesting to see if he's as attacking against Celtic.

Hughes has a number of attacking options now, and in particular two of them have a point to prove at Easter road in front of the ESPN cameras this weekend. Derek Riordan, who of course had a largely unsuccessful spell at Parkhead, will be desperate to impress - I'm sure of that.

New recruit Anthony Stokes will also be eager to score his first goal for the Edinburgh club after his transfer from Sunderland. It never quite worked out for Stokes down on Wearside, as he failed to make an impact under Roy Keane - he fell out with the manager and the two never patched up their relationship.

Stokes played against Falkirk a week ago and in truth he looked rusty, but that's understandable, as he has had played a limited amount of football in recent months. He missed a couple of chances at the Falkirk stadium that I would have expected him to convert, but it surely won't be long before he finds the net again.

Celtic will certainly have to be on top form to come away from Easter Road with all three points and their defending will have to be excellent on the day if they face that attacking trio.

John Hughes can certainly afford to have a go against Celtic, as this is a match they aren't expected to win anyway, and with two victories out of two so far, it's not exactly win or bust for Hibs.

So, expect an entertaining clash in the capital, and forget about the negativity from those who are keen to knock Scottish football down a peg or two. I accept that the top English clubs are streets ahead of both Rangers and Celtic right now, but that doesn't mean we should accept that the Old Firm can't compete in Europe.