Neil Lennon believes his Celtic team will be "up there" alongside the club's greatest ever sides if they complete 10-in-a-row this season.

Celtic start their Scottish Premiership campaign on Sunday and are targeting a historic 10th consecutive title.

Lennon acknowledges the 1967 Lisbon Lions will always be "the benchmark".

"They achieved the ultimate greatness with the European Cup and nine-in-a-row and all the cups that went with it," manager Lennon says.

"The players would be talked about in those sort of circles, I would imagine, if they achieve what we're trying to do this season."

Lennon believes there is less pressure on Celtic this season than, saying equalling the nine-in-a-row record was "the hard part".

He has "not really" touched on the prospect of a historic achievement with his players but will do so on the eve of Celtic's home fixture against Hamilton Academical on Sunday.

"We have been softly, softly with them in pre-season," he says. "We will whip them mentally now and try to get them into shape and focused on what lies ahead."

Several players have left the club and only goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas has arrived.

Lennon admits his squad "does need strengthening" but is happy to be patient, with the window open until October.

"We've got a bit of business to do yet - one or two and then we'll maybe take a view from there and see if there are any bids for any of our players," said Lennon, who has yet to decide if Barkas will start on Sunday after a hectic week.

The Celtic manager has a full squad from which to choose apart from forward Mikey Johnston, who will have surgery on a calf complaint that will keep him sidelined for four to six weeks.