Celtic and Aberdeen are only separated by goal difference in the Scottish Premiership table after both kept their unbeaten record intact last weekend.
After the Dons saw off Dundee on Saturday evening, the Bhoys had to respond on Sunday at Rugby Park in order to keep themselves at the summit heading into the international break.
Despite sustained pressure from the hosts, Celtic ran out 2-0 winners against Kilmarnock courtesy of strikes from Callum McGregor and Nicolas Kuhn, sending a reminder to any willing competitors.
| 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 |
Leaving the Scottish Premiership still tight at the top, the reigning champions head off on international duty before returning to action against Heart of Midlothian next weekend at Tynecastle.
Brendan Rodgers will have designs on helping Celtic to secure their fourth title in a row, but how far could Aberdeen feasibly push his side? Former Dons striker Lee Miller has delivered his verdict.
Lee Miller on the Celtic challenge from Aberdeen
Addressing his old side’s start to the season, Miller admitted Celtic are currently in the driving seat to claim the Scottish Premiership title, but didn’t completely rule out the possibility of a sting in the tail.
He explained [BBC Sport]: “Do you know what it makes it? It makes it an exciting league. Aberdeen are up there challenging, they’re doing really well, and they’re not tailing off. I think they’ve got the squad to cope with that.
“They’re not in Europe, which I think helps Aberdeen. They can just concentrate on the league and the cup competitions coming up. I don’t think they can overtake Celtic, Celtic are so strong in so many departments.
“They’ve got the funds to back them, but they’ve got the real quality and they’re playing in the Champions League and playing really well in the Champions League.
“I do think (Aberdeen) will split the Old Firm; I do think that. I think they’ll keep their consistency, and we’ll see what happens come to the end of the season.”
The Celtic dressing room have been over the course many times
If Aberdeen are in the conversation, one pivotal advantage Celtic hold over their nearest challengers is the extensive experience available within their dressing room compared to the one at Pittodrie.
Evaluating the squad, club captain Callum McGregor and one-club man James Forrest hold the monopoly on winning silverware.
However, assets like Cameron Carter-Vickers, Alistair Johnston, Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda now also have plenty of medals under their belt, which helps to build an internal reference point where everyone is aware of the level you need to reach to get over the line.
While Aberdeen are riding the crest of a wave and deserve to be where they are, Celtic are the top dog in Scotland and will take some stopping this campaign.
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