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Celtic return to league action on Wednesday to start a run of five games which could go a long way to deciding if the Hoops can win the Premiership title.
As it stands, Ange Postecoglou’s side are four points behind Rangers, and for Celtic to have a chance of winning the league the gap at the top of the league can’t really increase.
The five games Celtic face are: Hearts (a), Dundee United (h), Rangers (h), Motherwell (a) and Aberdeen (a). That is 15 points to play for and 450 minutes which could define Celtic’s league campaign.
When Celtic played the same teams in the first round of fixtures, the Hoops achieved a total of seven points from 15. That would not be acceptable for the current round of games if Celtic want to win the title.
The Hoops are in better shape now than they were in the first round of games, but some very important players will miss some of the upcoming fixtures for the Bhoys.
Tom Rogic and Daizen Maeda will miss the Hearts, Dundee United and Rangers games as they are on international duty. Kyogo and Callum McGregor are both injured and will be out of action for an undetermined period.
It will be a big test for Ange Postecoglou’s side to pick up the maximum 15 points in the upcoming games. The injuries and international fixtures have come at a bad time for the Hoops.
However, it would be a real boost for Celtic if the Hoops managed to overcome the difficulties and go on a run of five wins. It would arguably make the Bhoys favourites for the league title, and it would also establish Postecoglou as a very good Celtic manager.
The Hoops boss won’t be thinking of the games ahead though, he will taking it one game at a time, and that is understandable. He will only be thinking about Hearts in midweek, and the game against Rangers won’t even be on his radar.
Getting a win at Tynecastle, which is a difficult venue to go to, and with some important players unavailable would be a real statement by Postecoglou’s Celtic and it would be one of the best victories of his tenure as manager so far.
Celtic have made some real progress this season, but these five games will be a stern test of what the current Hoops side is made of. If the Bhoys can pass the tests with flying colours, Celtic would be well-placed to regain the league title.
