Celtic’s trip to Fir Park on Sunday will be absolutely massive
All thoughts firmly back to club football and it’s fair to say that Sunday’s trip to Fir Park will be absolutely massive for Celtic…
Now that international football has thankfully been tucked into cold storage, it’s time for the real stuff to recommence with the return of domestic football this weekend and Europa League football next Thursday with tough challenges awaiting Celtic from both Motherwell and Benfica.
After a run of three consecutive losses, Martin O’Neill and his Celtic players will be looking to bounce back in what will be an absolute massive game at Fir Park come Sunday lunchtime.
The Rangers will fulfil a home fixture against Kilmarnock the day previously, and may well earn all three points to go top of the league by a point before we’ve even kicked a ball, so the pressure will very much be on the Champions going into the game against the Steelmen.
the Rangers having unburdened themselves from European football
It’s something that everyone at Celtic will have to get used to with so much Sunday football to be played due to Europa League commitments and with the Rangers having unburdened themselves from European football with their various playoff defeats across two competitions.
That means that they’ll be playing mostly on Saturdays with Celtic playing the next day, unless they are on Sky Sports. Even then they’ll have the early kickoff time.
There’s always pressure and expectations on a Celtic side
Of course there’s always pressure and expectations on a Celtic side, but more so than ever before due to our woeful performances ahead of the international break when the failings in the transfer market – yet again – bit Celtic on the backside.
The Fir Park side are on a bit of a mini slump themselves, having recently suffered a 4-0 home loss to Aberdeen, but we certainly haven’t been that clever ourselves recently, so it will be a tough test ahead and we can take no comfort from that surprise result against The Dons.
It’s a game that’s going to test Celtic’s mental strength as well as our ability
It’s a game that’s going to test Celtic’s mental strength as well as our ability and it’s one that we really need to win at all costs, as after three consecutive defeats it’s imperative we get back to winning ways. So it’s about more than the three points. A defeat in Motherwell with the game in Lisbon next up would see us staring down the barrel of five loses in a row – when was the last time that happened?
Martin O’Neill should have a strong enough squad to choose from, and after having a few weeks to ponder his options in terms of the best system he sees fit to take the side forward, we should hopefully see a much needed freshness among a rejuvenated group of Celtic players.
Time to put the events before the international break behind us
Come Sunday afternoon, it’s imperative that Celtic has left North Lanarkshire with all three points to remain clear at the top of the league ahead of the trip to face Benfica. We will want to travel to Portugal in a confident frame of mind having put the three games before the international break well and truly behind us.
