Celtic return to Scottish Premiership action this weekend, and their challenge will be to ward off Aberdeen’s interest in top spot.
Brendan Rodgers’ men have made an unbeaten start to the campaign, winning ten league matches and drawing against the Dons back in September.
Aberdeen have an identical record, leaving Celtic ahead on goal difference heading into this weekend’s round of fixtures as they head to face Heart of Midlothian at Tynecastle.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  CelticCeltic | 11 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 3 | 28 | 31 |
| 2 |  AberdeenAberdeen | 11 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 10 | 14 | 31 |
| 3 |  RangersRangers | 11 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 22 |
| 4 |  Dundee UtdDundee Utd | 12 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 18 | 13 | 5 | 19 |
Earlier in the day, Jimmy Thelin’s side take St Mirren at the SMiSA Stadium, which could potentially present a banana skin in their mission to put pressure on the reigning Scottish Premiership champions.
With club football now back at the forefront, Aberdeen Eoin Jess has reviewed the likelihood of his old side being able to challenge Celtic for the title.
Eoin Jess on Aberdeen chances of challenging Celtic
Speaking to The Daily Record, Jess has signalled belief that Aberdeen can make a go of things this campaign, but conceded there is a ‘long way to go’ if they are able to keep pace with what is an all-conquering Celtic side.
He explained: “I don’t see why not. They are in second at the moment and there is a long way to go but (they could) if they keep doing the right things. The pleasing thing for me is that when they have performed badly, they have actually got results and that’s the sign of a good team.
“My belief comes from the way they have been playing this year. You are in the game to win things and to finish this season would be outstanding. There would not have been that expectation to split the Old Firm. It was hard for me to watch games against the Old Firm in previous seasons and not see full attendances at Pittodrie.
“But now the big crowds are back, the results are right and that means the fans are coming back in their droves. It’s a matter of maintaining that and from now until the end of the season, hopefully that will be the case.
Later, he added: “Obviously the semi-final was a stumbling block, but they have responded well to it which was a great sign. There has been another big change with a new manager coming in but he has hit the ground running. Part of his job is to get the best out of players and he is doing that. He is not afraid to make changes in games and at half time. If he needs to tweak things he does it and that is the sign of a good manager.”
Celtic only need to focus on themselves over the coming weeks
While some build up Aberdeen’s resurgence as the story of the season, Celtic are still in the box seat and will be determined to stay there over the festive period.
The Parkhead dressing room is full of starts that have been over the course, so the notion of early challengers emerging from the pack won’t be something Rodgers and company lose any sleep over.
That isn’t to say the Bhoys will become complacent. Aberdeen deserve to be where they are after an excellent start to the season, but Celtic are the team to beat in Scotland based on every given metric.
Now, the priority is sustaining their own momentum as Callum McGregor looks to get on the podium next year to life a fourth successive league title/
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