Celtic will put their Champions League victory over RB Leipzig to one side when they take on Kilmarnock this weekend in the Scottish Premiership at Rugby Park.
From the bright lights of Parkhead in midweek to the slopes of Rugby Park, the travelling support will know the Bhoys’ clash against Derek McInnes and his outfit is equally important to their side’s mission this term.
As it stands, Celtic are top of the Scottish Premiership on goal difference, but Aberdeen could rise to the summit with three points or a draw against Dundee on Saturday evening.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  CelticCeltic | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 3 | 26 | 28 |
| 2 |  AberdeenAberdeen | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 9 | 11 | 28 |
| 3 |  RangersRangers | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 19 |
| 4 |  Dundee UtdDundee Utd | 11 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 15 | 13 | 2 | 16 |
Brendan Rodgers will be determined to ensure his side make the short trip back to Glasgow with another triumph in the bank, with the international break set to follow once the full-time whistle blows.
After the Bhoys blew Leipzig away on Tuesday, Kilmarnock boss McInnes has given his verdict on Celtic and how his side plan to counter their recent form.
Derek McInnes on how he plans to counteract Celtic
Speaking ahead of the clash on the Warm-Up podcast, McInnes has admitted that he was impressed with how ‘devastating’ Celtic were against Leipzig, but is adamant his side can be a competitive force on Sunday when both clubs lock horns.
He stated, firstly referencing the Hoops’ result in midweek: “You see Leipzig, who got really after them, Effectively 4-4-2 out of possession really chasing them down, and at spells, had Celtic rocked (for) maybe 10-15 minutes.
“But Celtic played their game and still got through. I think the level of performance for Celtic at the minute is really strong, I thought it was a very mature performance, particularly the closing part of the second-half the other night and they’ve got players, if they’ve got space to work, they’ll work the space.
“The speed can be devastating, so we’ve got to try as a team to limit the opportunities for them to exploit that, but recognise that good players will find solutions to get to you and we’ve just got to make sure were as organised and as compact as possible, but try and be as much us as possible, so it’s my job to look and try and look for little things that I can sell to the players, really.
“The players aren’t daft, they see Celtic playing at Hampden, they see Celtic playing and winning on Tuesday night, the majority who’d watch it, but we’ve got to make the reference that every player who will play on Sunday, the majority of them would’ve played last season.”
Celtic know they will need to be prepared at Rugby Park
Whatever the dominant opinion on it, Celtic will once again take to an artificial surface against Kilmarnock this weekend, which is something that can create a slightly different dynamic compared to playing on grass.
However, none of that is an excuse. McInnes and company usually give the Bhoys a battle on home soil, so there isn’t much new to know ahead of their collision course at Rugby Park.
Providing a positive omen, Celtic have scored nine goals and conceded none in their last two meetings with the Ayrshire outfit.
With the form the Bhoys are in, you get the impression they will be determined to round off in style on Sunday ahead of the international break.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
