Celtic launch an assault on their fourth competition of the season today with a Scottish Cup match against Albion Rovers at the Excelsior Stadium in Airdrie.

The Bhoys have already won one of those competitions this season and they're also well on their way to another of them - Rodgers' team are currently 19 points ahead in the Scottish Premiership, having won every game but one.

That's the best domestic start by a new manager at Celtic in the club's entire existence, just one of a number of ways the former Liverpool boss is making history at Celtic Park.

The Scottish Cup is the oldest trophy in world football and the Bhoys have lifted it the most times - a massive 36, to be exact.

It remains a trophy fans are desperate to win, but why? Why should Celtic take this competition as seriously as playing the likes of Barcelona in the Champions League?

Here are THREE reasons the Scottish Cup is still vitally important to Celtic...

Treble yell

Britain Football Soccer - Aberdeen v Celtic - Scottish League Cup Final - Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland - 27/11/16 Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers and Scott Brown celebrate winning the final with the trophy Action Images via Reuters / Pool Pic Livepic EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications.

Despite Celtic's dominance in Scottish football, domestic trebles don't come around that often. In fact, it's only been done three times in their history; twice under Jock Stein in the 1960s and once under Martin O'Neill in 2001.

Rodgers' spell at Celtic is already drawing strong parallels with Martin O'Neill's run as Celtic boss and many fans are dreaming of a similar debut treble.

The 3-0 destruction of Aberdeen in the Scottish League Cup Final in November showed that they mean business this season, and given they're are also streaking ahead in the league, it's only really the Scottish Cup that remains a big challenge for the Hoops in the second half of the season.

Can Rodgers emulate the likes of O'Neill and Stein? It'd almost certainly make him a legend with the Celtic support for years and years to come.

Unbeaten run

Britain Football Soccer - Rangers v Celtic - Scottish Premiership - Ibrox Stadium - 31/12/16 Celtic's Scott Sinclair celebrates scoring their second goal with team mates Reuters / Russell Cheyne Livepic EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications.  Please contact your account representative for f

Celtic now have another goal in the second half of the season, self-imposed due to their unbelievable form in the first few months of this term: to go unbeaten in domestic football for an entire season.

The Hoops have won every single one of their domestic matches apart from one: a 2-2 draw away to Inverness in which the home side scored an equaliser in the last minute.

Celtic have only gone unbeaten in the league for an entire season once in their history and that was back in 1898 during a campaign that lasted just 18 games. They also went out of the Scottish Cup.

That means going unbeaten for the rest of the season would be historic, legendary and unprecedented. Motivation enough to try and pick up the famous old trophy while their league form is so good.

Tradition and history

Football - Celtic v Dunfermline Athletic Tennent's Scottish Cup Final - Hampden Park - 22/5/04
Celtic's Jackie McNamara and Henrik Larsson lift the Scottish Cup
Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Lee Smith
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As noted, Celtic have lifted the Scottish Cup more than any other side in history. It's a point of pride that Celtic fans take seriously and the national competition has provided them with some wonderful moments over the years.

From 1965 when Jock Stein won his first trophy, to 1988 when the club won a double in their centenary year, right through to 2013 when the Bhoys defeated Hibs 3-0 in the final.

That 2013 victory was the last time the Hoops lifted the trophy and fans would love nothing more this season than to lift it again.

It's a competition that's been very competitive over the last decade with seven different winners in that time. For Celtic fans, it's important to show why they've lifted the trophy so many times and re-assert their domestic dominance.