Mark O’Hara makes Celtic admission as St Mirren travel to face Bhoys in Scottish Premiership

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Celtic are back in Scottish Premiership action this weekend against St Mirren as their first home clash of 2025 enters focus.

Last time out, the Bhoys were on the end of a disappointing defeat to Rangers in an affair where they simply didn’t turn up at Ibrox.

Nevertheless, Celtic’s clash against St Mirren offers a swift opportunity to get back to winning ways for Brendan Rodgers after his second derby loss in 21 matches across two spells north of the border.

To maintain freshness, there is every chance Rodgers could make changes against the Buddies with three points on his mind to ensure the feelgood factor returns rapidly.

While the home side are readying themselves for another stiff test, here is how the St Mirren dressing room view the short trip to Glasgow.

Mark O’Hara delivers St Mirren verdict on Celtic clash

Speaking to The Daily Record, St Mirren captain Mark O’Hara has admitted his side will need to be at their best to stand a chance this weekend against Celtic but believes the match could suit the Buddies due to their underdog status.

He stated: “We’ve been there in previous years and played well. We’ve got results and we’re getting close to results.

“We know we need to do our best to get anything, and it might be a game that suits us going there. We’re going to need our best on Sunday. I don’t think [the Old Firm derby defeat] will really affect anything too much.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	CelticCeltic	19	16	2	1	52	7	45	50
2	RangersRangers	19	12	3	4	34	13	21	39
3	Dundee UtdDundee Utd	20	9	7	4	30	21	9	34
4	AberdeenAberdeen	20	10	4	6	32	28	4	34
5	ST MirrenST Mirren	21	8	3	10	27	34	-7	27
6	MotherwellMotherwell	20	8	3	9	25	34	-9	27

“We know that if we focus on ourselves, we will have a game plan. To get anything from the game we will need to be at our best – if it’s Celtic at 100 per cent or 80 per cent.

“So, I don’t think we’ll take too much from that game but it’s one we need to be ready for. It may be a game that takes the pressure off a wee bit and maybe that’s what we’ll need after a game like Kilmarnock.

“I don’t think many people outwith the changing room will give us much of a chance. It might be a game that suits us.”

Celtic have fire in their belly to react against St Mirren

Speaking after the Bhoys’ defeat at Ibrox, Alistair Johnston issued a Celtic rallying cry and vowed that his side will leave no stone unturned in their attempts to put derby dissapointment to the back of their mind.

He stated: “We’ve got to take our medicine and understand that as much as we want to be perfect every day, we weren’t tonight. Now, we’ve got to kick on.

“This could be a massive thing that we can look at and now bounce back from and use as motivation to remind ourselves that there’s still a long way to go here.”

Abnormal results can happen, and it would be foolish to assume there are any guarantees no matter the opposition. Now, the challenge for Celtic is to react and preserve their double-digit Scottish Premiership lead.