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Bernardo craves starting spot at Hampden

Bernardo craves starting spot at Hampden

BBC News23-05-2025

Paulo Bernardo hopes he has done enough to earn a starting place in the Scottish Cup final on Saturday as the Celtic midfielder eyes the first treble of his career.The 23-year-old Portuguese hasn't been a first pick since making his loan move from Benfica permanent last summer, but has started the past two games following the injury to Reo Hatate that rules the Japan midfielder out of the Hampden showpiece.Having been in the XI for the League Cup win over Rangers in December, Bernardo wants another major role against Aberdeen.Bernardo, who came off the bench to provide the assist for Aadam Idah's Scottish Cup final winner last season, said: "It's a cup final, I started the League Cup a few months back, it's important for me to play these games but whoever the coach picks will do the best for the team."I'm doing my best to get the opportunity, whoever he picks is the right choice. We just need to work if we come on from the start or from the bench and we do our best."It would be my first treble, I've never experienced that. It will be amazing and I want to achieve that. I'm still young and I will do my best to achieve that here at this big club, I'm very happy."Celtic always want to win every title, we are always here to win every game and with that we can win titles."Sometimes it won't happen but you always want these things to happen and you visualise them."I'm really glad that I came here to Celtic because I can win the things that I dreamt of before."

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