THERE is no hassle here, said Wim Jansen, as he insisted that he and his team had carried on as per programme in their preparations for the penultimate hurdle on the way, they hope, to the club's first premier championship for 10 years.

The Celtic coach was responding to a suggestion that he might have considered taking his team away from the Parkhead environment to concentrate on the game with Dunfermline tomorrow, and thus avoid the hassle that goes with this tense and exciting stage of their season.

''We do everything as we have done all season. We can practise the way we like, and all is normal. I believe that is the best way to behave.

''We need 100% concentration in the game on Sunday and to get that it is better to stick to our normal routine.''

The coach does not subscribe to the view that the tension is affecting his players. ''We were under the same pressure when we beat Motherwell as we were when we only drew with Hibs. Now we are under the same tension again but it is up to us to play well and win the game.''

He was happy to report that all his top team pool including Craig Burley, who had looked hampered by a niggling injury last week, are in good fettle.

The only disappointing news is that Tommy Johnson has to go through a cartilage operation on Tuesday and will need to restart his Parkhead career in the summer.

The Celtic leader has not yet decided if he will start with the same team as last week but, having observed his style, it might well be that he will bring in only Jackie McNamara as a starting change against his old club.

''I will choose the best team as I see it for this game, '' he said in his usual enigmatic fashion, ''once I have seen them tomorrow in their final practice.''

He does not agree that Dunfermline, now that they are safe from relegation, will be easier to tackle than had they been still in the contest for survival.

''Every team wants to beat the bigger clubs and they will be no different. We expect them to be at their best on Sunday.''

Neither he nor general manager Jock Brown had anything to say about Jansen's own position, but it now looks certain that a decision will be delayed until after the final league game a week today.

Brown did report that Celtic have arranged a game with Bolton Wanderers on August 4, which will be a testimonial for Jimmy Phillips, and it is also likely that the friendly with Sporting Lisbon, part of the original Jorg Cadete transfer deal, will take place in Lisbon on May 12.

Celtic also plan to set up their pre-season camp in Holland on July 6 for a week.

Football being a collection of coincidences and other bits and pieces, it comes as no big surprise that the Dunfermline manager, Bert Paton, will wander three decades down memory lane when Celtic arrive at East End Park.

Paton was one of those who came came face-to-face with the Parkhead star turns, most of whom have now gained legendary status, almost 30 years ago to the day - April 30, 1968 - as a Dunfermline player aiming to halt the Celtic march towards another championship flag.

It was the final match of the season and Celtic needed only to avoid defeat to clinch the third of their nine-in-a-row triumphs.

Paton has vivid memories of that clash and admits the similarities between the match and Sunday's are striking.

He said: ''Sunday's match reminds me very much of that game in 1968.

''A lot of things are the same. The demand for tickets is incredible. Everyone wants to see the game and we could have sold East End Park out three times over.

''To this day, no-one really knows just how many people were crammed inside the ground that night. The estimated attendance was 27,000, but that cannot be right.

''I have pictures from the game of my wall at home and, honestly, there are people hanging from floodlight pylons and up on the terracing roofs.

''In fact, the game had to be stopped three times as police tried to get the fans off the roofs before they fell through them.

''A gate was also demolished as fans tried to get in and could easily have been double the estimated figure.

''They were two great sides. The Celtic side was basically the Lisbon Lions and we had just beaten Hearts 3-1 to win the Scottish Cup four days before the game.

''Celtic won 2-1 with goals from Bobby Lennox and my excuse for losing is that we were still full of champagne from Hampden.''

Paton is desperate for a reversal of that result this time around: ''Celtic have everything to chase in terms of winning the league, but we have our own incentives to do well.

''I know how important this game is for Celtic and I tell you they had better be up for it, although I'm sure they will know they are in for a tough time.

''This is our last match at East End Park this season and is a complete sell-out, so obviously we will want to go out on a high.''

Paton has a fitness worry over Craig Robertson and will make a late decision on the midfielder.

The chances are that the Fifers will make it a ferocious afternoon for their visitors, for that is their way, and unless Celtic are, as Paton puts it in the current vernacular ''up for it'', they might find themselves in the depths of a titanic contest. None the less, if they have pretensions to being champions of Scotland, they have to assert themselves now.

The final moment of truth approaches fast.

BOOKIES' VIEW: Dunfermline - 13-2, Celtic - 4-9, draw - 3 -1.