Why was St Johnstone vs Celtic postponed?
Celtic will not be in action this weekend despite being scheduled to face St Johnstone away from home in the William Hill Premiership. The Bhoys maintained their 100% record across all competitions on Wednesday night with an emphatic win over LASK in their Champions League qualifying playoff first leg.
The Bhoys rode their luck at times, by Martin O'Neill's own admission, but they showed immense quality at the top end of the pitch to come out 3-0 winners. Benjamin Nygren scored a beauty, and Camilo Duran adding two brilliant goals of his own to pick up where he left off in the Champions League with Qarabag last season.
Attention now turns to the second leg in Austria on Tuesday night, and Celtic will have extra time to prepare due to their clash with St Johnstone having already been postponed. But why was the game moved?
Why was St Johnstone vs Celtic postponed?
The William Hill Premiership clash between St Johnstone and Celtic at McDiarmid Park, previously scheduled for Saturday, August 22, was postponed due to SPFL rules allowing clubs involved in UEFA competition qualifying playoffs to postpone round three Premiership fixtures.
The rule, which is designed to help Scottish clubs qualify for European competitions, allows clubs involved in playoffs to postpone a third-round fixture without the agreement of their opponents, and Celtic took up that option.
The rule was also in place last season, and its existance is to give Scottish clubs every chance of making it into the European competitions, which only helps the league and Scottish football as a whole.
British football organisers have often been criticised for not helping their clubs when it comes to European football, with mainland European leagues often making scheduling concessions to help teams perform well in Europe, but the SPFL has adjusted to do the same when it comes to the qualifiers.
A new date has not yet been confirmed for the fixture, but it will almost certainly be slotted in mid-week at some stage during the season.
The change means Celtic's next Premiership game is on Saturday, August 29, against Falkirk, meaning a gap of 21 days between their last Premiership fixture and their next due to the Premier Sports Cup and the Champions League qualifiers. The Bhoys won their first two league games, against Dundee and Kilmarnock, and they have maintained their 100% record across all competitions so far. Their next test comes in Austria against LASK on Tuesday night.
