Manager Neil Lennon said he expected to have more firepower for Celtic’s two remaining games in Australia after an opening pre-season tour loss on Saturday.

Celtic had only three members of their Scottish Cup winning side in their starting line-up that lost 1-0 to the Central Coast Mariners in Sydney. The Hoops dominated possession and chances but were undone by a spectacular strike from substitute Troy Hearfield in the closing minutes.

Lennon was upbeat despite the defeat, saying that his side only had limited preparation time after arriving in Australia on Wednesday.

“Considering the lack of preparation we’ve had, for me, this was always going to be the toughest game of the tour,” Lennon told reporters.

“We’ve got a week now to prepare for Perth and ten days for Melbourne (Victory), so if that’s a marker for the rest of the tour, then I’m pretty pleased with it.”

Lennon said he hoped midfielder Kris Commons and defenders Charlie Mulgrew and Thomas Rogne, who all missed the Mariners match, would be available to face Perth Glory next Saturday.

He will also have four more internationals – Greek striker Georgios Samaras, South Korean stars Cha Du-Ri and Ki Sung-Yueng and Swedish defender Daniel Majsto-rovic – arriving a day before the Perth game, but unlikely to play.