Celtic will resume their domestic action with a Scottish Cup match at Partick Thistle on Saturday evening, but there’s another cup tie that we must have our eye on.
On Sunday, Dundee United will host Hibernian in what’s looking like a more intriguing game the closer we get to it. United are 17 points clear at the top of the Championship, whilst Hibs represent a step-up in class to what United hope to be when they return to the Premiership.
However, for Celtic, what makes this game relevant is the Lawrence Shankland factor. As we all know, Nick Hammond was at Firhill to watch Shankland bag a perfect hat-trick on Saturday (Scottish Sun).
Interest in the striker is clearly getting serious now, with sections of the Celtic support also warming to a potential deal for the former Aberdeen and St Mirren striker.
Yet, as we also know, there is one big question hovering over the Scotland internationalist despite his impressive campaign so far.
Can Shankland do it against Premiership opposition?
It’s undoubted that there is a clear gap between Championship and Premiership sides. Shankland may have 24 goals against teams in Scotland’s second division (Transfermarkt), but he could perhaps score his biggest one yet on Sunday.
If Shankland manages to put in a dominant performance against the likes of Darren McGregor and Paul Hanlon, that will be a massive scalp for him to take. Hibs are United’s utopia at the moment. The Edinburgh side have adapted to the Premiership the way United would love to do.
Should Shankland net, the question of whether he can do it against top-flight opposition will be removed. No longer will those doubts still be there. If he can perform against Hibs, he can perform against most in the Premiership.
However, his all-round performance will be just as important. That’s why Celtic could do with sending a scout there to see him once again. Whether it be Hammond, Tosh McKinlay, or anyone else – Shankland has to be watched if we’re still interested.
After all, it’s easy to look at goals and be impressed. But nicking a goal and being bullied for the rest of the match wouldn’t do him any favours. Sending our own scout to the game will allow us to get the lo-down on how he performs over 90 minutes against a Premiership team – analysing both any goals scored combined with his all-round play.
This is a game that’s certainly worth watching for those with an interest in Shankland. United have plenty of momentum, and it will be most intriguing to see how the big striker gets on.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
