Brendan Rodgers believes Celtic are peaking in time for the Scottish Cup final

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers is glad to be going to Hampden with momentum behind his team.

The champions rounded off their cinch Premiership campaign with a 3-2 win over St Mirren on Saturday to make it eight wins and a draw from their final nine league matches.

Celtic clinched the title with arguably their best performance of the season when they won 5-0 at Kilmarnock on Wednesday.

Defender Stephen Welsh will have a scan on a shoulder injury after coming off injured against St Mirren but Rodgers has had a full squad to choose from in recent weeks.

Although he made six changes against St Mirren ahead of the trophy presentation, Celtic are very much in the rhythm going into the Scottish Cup final against Rangers.

“It’s very important to have that momentum,” Rodgers said. “We won the title on Wednesday and that allowed us to follow it through where the emotion was still there.

“Maybe in previous seasons we have won it from a bit out and then you have to control the mentality of the team to arrive in that final in a good place.

“This time we are in flow and we are getting better. That will serve well.

“I made changes because it’s a big game next Saturday and you just never know what might happen in midweek. I wanted to get as many players in the best condition possible.”

Rodgers has now won eight out of the nine trophies he has competed for in Scotland and is determined to make it a double this season.

“The league this season was always going to be a monumental fight and achievement if we could get over the line, especially with all the various injuries and everything else going on through the season,” he said.

“We can draw a line under that. Players have delivered and delivered under pressure.

“Now we are getting to the cup. Hampden is an amazing place to play and go and show your football. So, that will be a fantastic way to end the season.”

St Mirren almost ended their memorable campaign on a high. Mark O’Hara twice gave them a first-half lead and they carried as much of a threat as Celtic for most of the second half, only for Luis Palma to convert Anthony Ralston’s cross late on.

St Mirren finished the season without claiming a point against either Celtic or Rangers but still secured European football for the first time in 37 years.

Manager Stephen Robinson said: “We wanted to test ourselves and see where we were. We are getting closer. We went 87 minutes this time.

“I hate losing football matches and in the manner we did. But it shows we have the basis of a really good squad. Most of the players on that pitch – apart from (Keanu) Baccus and (Ryan) Strain – will potentially be with us next season.

“So it’s up to me to try to build and continue that upward rise of the football club.”