MORTON will be firmly in the Scottish Cup spotlight tomorrow as they take a break from league duty and attempt to cause an almighty upset against Celtic in their marquee fourth round tie.

Almost 10 years on from one of the most memorable nights in the club's recent history, when they sent the Scottish champions crashing out of the league cup, the Greenock side return to Parkhead with their goalscorer on that famous night now in charge in the dugout.

Ton have just about sold out their away end allocation, with over 2,000 tickets snapped up, so they will be backed by a noisy travelling contingent dreaming of another shock against all the odds.

But the task at hand could not be any tougher against the Premiership league leaders, who are chasing down a treble in their second season under manager Ange Postecoglou and boast a 100 per cent home record which continued with a routine midweek trouncing of St Mirren.

Understandably, Morton's prospects have been completely written off by almost everyone against opponents who have been sweeping all before them domestically for over a year.

It would take an almost other-worldly scenario for the Greenock men to repeat their feat of 2013, but they will nonetheless set out to give it a good go, and the players have a great platform to impress on a big stage and with the match being broadcast live on the BBC.

Imrie's outfit have been enjoying an impressive season, but they go into this clash out of sorts on a poor run of form.

They have collected just two points from the last 12 in the league and have slipped out of the promotion play-off slots as a result.

In that respect, a cup draw of this magnitude may be no bad thing - a break from the league may help them get back to basics.

The game does however carry the very real threat of being a chastening experience, as many sides have found out on their visits to Glasgow's east end in recent times.

But there is little point in the Ton team obsessing about who they are up against individually and collectively, as the hosts enjoy an embarrassment of riches in every department - including the bench.

The dogs in the street know all about the qualities of this Celtic side and the way they play - pressing incessantly, dominating the ball, attacking at pace with real fluidity from all angles and looking to overwhelm opponents as quickly as possible.

Teams with far better resources and bigger budgets than Morton have been unable to contain them time and again.

And even when it looks like they somehow might manage it, this Celtic side are so relentless in wearing you down that late winning goals has become something of a trademark for them.

If Morton were to sit back and micro-analyse all the threats they will face at 12.15pm tomorrow then the players wouldn't get much sleep tonight.

Instead they need to focus on their own strengths and qualities - they have shown for the most part of this season that they are a very difficult team to beat and that is as good a foundation as any to tackle their biggest test yet.

Under Imrie, Ton have become recognised over the last year as an organised, well drilled and tough team to play against.

They still have the best defensive record in the Championship, and misfortune and some very controversial refereeing decisions have contributed heavily to their recent woes.

It has taken a penalty shootout defeat, a last-gasp own goal and two hotly-disputed spot kicks for them to go down to the recent defeats which brought a lengthy unbeaten run to a shuddering halt.

Celtic's manager has had much to say lately about decisions which have gone against his side but one can only wonder how horrified he would have been by the abysmal officiating which Ton have been on the wrong end of over the last few weeks.

With that in mind Imrie is probably relieved that tomorrow's tie will make history by being the first Scottish Cup game to be played with VAR in operation - and cursing that it wasn't in place at Firhill and New Douglas Park over the last fortnight.

With a clean bill of health, it will be very interesting to see how the manager sets his side up.

He could add defensive reinforcements or stiffen up the midfield to try and choke off space, but may instead rely on the set-up that has served him and his players well and which they are familiar and comfortable with.

Going forward, in Robbie Muirhead and Jai Quitongo he has two players with different attributes who can pose problems for defences, so the visitors must try to utilise them and ask questions of the Celtic rearguard.

Set pieces are another feature of the game which Ton will have to make the most of, against a side which can at times be vulnerable to them.

The challenge ahead is a monumental one and it almost goes without saying that it would take a set of exceptional circumstances for Morton to pull off the unthinkable.

A solid start, fully concentrated and disciplined defensive performance, break of the ball, efficient attack and a major off-day for their opponents is indeed a lot to ask for at once, but their manager knows better than anyone what can happen on big occasions like this when the stars do align.