The trilogy of tussles begins on Monday morning (AEDT) in the quarter-final of the Scottish Cup at Tannadice, followed by the before the sides meet again in the Premiership at Parkhead less than a week later.
The outcome of the clashes will define the Tangerines’ season as they seek to knock the highly fancied Hoops off their perch.
With three defeats from their last four games, the portents don’t look promising but McGowan – who played for the Socceroos at last year’s FFA World Cup – sees only positives as he revels in his return to Scotland after two seasons with Chinese Super League side Shandong Luneng.
“It’s a big three games for us and it's all there in our hands to grab some silverware for the cub and light up our season,” McGowan said.
“We’re fourth in the table and Celtic are top and everybody is going to expect them to win these games but we are looking at them as a massive opportunity.
“To be at home first up in the cup quarter-final could really set us up if we get a good result, and the reality is if you are going to win anything in Scotland the chances are that you’re going to have to come up against Celtic at some stage.
“It’s true that we've been struggling a bit in the league but these are the sorts of games which could galvanise the rest of the season for us.
“We’ve been going through a sticky patch with too many players having off days and you get punished for that."
McGowan, who was part of the Hearts team that beat Celtic 2-1 in the semi-finals on the way to winning the Scottish Cup two years ago, added: “People have been saying we’re in a crisis but with these sorts of games coming up, I’d take this crisis any day of the week.
“We know we need to put down marker and build from there. We beat Celtic 2-1 in the league at home in December, so we know what can be achieved if we perform."
Though Celtic remains Scotland’s pre-eminent force, some cracks appeared during the week with a 1-0 loss to St Johnstone.
“Overall, Celtic are as strong as they always were … they are four points clear at the top but that defeat was a surprise and they will be under a bit of pressure against us," McGowan said.
“They are heavy favourites for the treble but we’ll be doing all we can to stop that happening.
“They have signed a couple of our players (midfielder Stuart Armstrong and winger Gary Mackay-Steven) but they are both cup tied, which is a loss for Celtic and a boost for us.”
McGowan failed to make the cut for Australia’s triumphant AFC Asian Cup squad but is far from discouraged and has vowed to keep knocking on the door for a recall, possibly for this month’s clashes against Germany and Macedonia.
“I think I’ve been playing quite well, both at right-back and centre-back (he scored in the 1-1 draw against Inverness late last month).
“And if I keep performing then who knows what might happen with the national team. That’s all I can do and if the international recognition comes again I’d be more than happy.”
