This is it. The title run-in begins here. Win the next five games and Celtic are champions, regardless of what may happen elsewhere. It would also mean that Celtic confirm themselves as champions before the split.
Another Tricky Trip
We begin this run with a tricky trip top Paisley. Despite our recent excellent record against them, St. Mirren are no pushovers, as Rangers learned last week to their dismay.
Celtic have a fully fit squad available with the exception of long-term injury absentees Paulo Bernardo and James Forrest. Following the birth of his baby girl in midweek, Greg Taylor is once again available for selection.
However, with his future uncertain and Jeffrey Schlupp continuing to impress at left back it is uncertain who will take the full-back berth this evening.
If it Ain’t Broke...
Elsewhere in the team, I expect we can see similar to the team that blew Aberdeen away by 5 goals to 1 on Tuesday.
It speaks volumes however to how much this Celtic team have grown over the past couple of seasons, that even a 5-1 win at home against one of the best teams in the league was not without a fair degree of self-critique. Both captain Callum McGregor and manager Brendan Rodgers said as much during yesterday’s pre-match press conference.
Still Room For Improvement
Both said in as many words that the result was great but there’s still aspects of the performance where they feel they can do better.
Such perfectionism is, in my opinion great to see, especially at a time when everyone outside of Celtic Park believes the league race is already over.
No Room For Complacency
Last week’s loss to Hibs, VAR notwithstanding, was perhaps the kick in our complacency that we needed. The overwhelmingly positive response on Tuesday showed that.
However, St. Mirren will, I believe, prove a sterner test than Aberdeen. After all, they’ve won a number of games recently where they were considered the underdogs. And they beat Rangers too!
Conditions Could Play a Role
The heavy pitch will also be a factor. Both managers admitted that the surface is likely to impact the flow of the game. One would suspect this will benefit St. Mirren more than Celtic, but that remains to be seen.
As Brendan Rodgers said yesterday, we’ve played on all kinds of pitches and in all kinds of conditions. What matters most is the performance.
I believe Celtic will deliver another title-worthy performance today.
Predicted Starting Eleven: Schmeichel, Schlupp, Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Johnston, McGregor, Hatate, Engels, Kuhn, Daizen, Jota.
Score prediction: Celtic to win 4-0, Kuhn to score first.