Max Kucheriavyi keen to keep making the right impression at St Johnstone

St Johnstone midfielder Max Kucheriavyi is relishing the prospect of the cinch Premiership test he knows Celtic will provide on Sunday.

The 21-year-old Ukrainian midfielder, who signed for the Perth club in 2021 after being unable to win a contract at Hearts, had loan spells at Brechin City, Kelty Hearts and Falkirk but is now beginning to make his mark at McDiarmid Park.

Ahead of the visit of Scotland’s Champions League representatives, Kucheriavyi said: “These games are really important for every player because you always want to test yourself when you are playing against the best teams in the country.

“Celtic are playing in the Champions League and it is always interesting to test yourself against teams who play at the highest level.

“It is a season of improvement for me because I have been playing more than last season.

“There are a lot of positives so far. I wanted to play as many minutes as possible and hopefully I will play even more this season.

“I am enjoying this challenge, it is new for me and I am trying to embrace it.

“The more you play the better you become, that’s how I look at things. Hopefully I will stay healthy and play as much as possible this season.”

Kucheriavyi was an unused substitute when Saints battled out a goalless draw at Celtic Park earlier in the season which gives him belief for the return game.

He said: “It was one of our best performances of the season.

“It was really good for us to go to Celtic Park and put in a good performance and get a result.

“We need to play at our best as individuals and as a team and if we focus on ourselves first and foremost but also deny Celtic’s strong points, I believe we might get a result.”