Celtic face Ross County in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday, aiming to extend their perfect domestic winning run.
Tuesday night’s Champions League defeat to Borussia Dortmund is the only black mark on the Bhoys’ record so far this term, winning all nine of their other matches.
Three points is again the aim in a tricky lunchtime kick-off live on Sky Sports.
Don Cowie’s side are hardly in towering form, with just one league win from seven, but Ross County players have already vowed to make it a difficult physical match for Celtic.
After the low of Germany mid-week, it’s even more important that Brendan Rodgers’ team bounce back with confidence and return to the kind of football that has been earning them so many plaudits.
Celtic could set a new clean sheet bar vs Ross County
Celtic’s 6-0 win over St Johnstone last week ensured that the Bhoys made it six wins with six clean sheets at the start of the league campaign, the first time that’s happened at the club since the 1906/07 season.
The BBC erroneously reported a few weeks ago that the mark of five clean sheets was the record equalled, but subsequent digs into the archives showed that the 1906/07 side did, in fact, make six.
Now, the team has the chance to go one step further and make history with seven wins and seven clean sheets from the first seven league matches. Celtic have never achieved that in their entire history.
Rangers kept seven consecutive league clean sheets at the start of the 2020/21 Premiership season, but one of those was a draw away to Livingston, so it would be a new feat in Scottish football too.
Celtic’s defensive record is a true team effort
Kasper Schmeichel and the Celtic defence will be given most of the plaudits for the achievement if it occurs, but the truth is that all eleven players have contributed massively to shutting out teams.
The tone is really set in attack with the tireless efforts of Daizen Maeda, Kyogo Furuhashi and Nicolas Kuhn, all of whom do excellently to pressure opponents and win back possession before attacks get started.
All the players who have contributed this season should get their due, though I’m sure Celtic will be quick to point out they are on the hunt for silverware, not intriguing statistical runs.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
