Rating the difficulty of Celtic’s post-Europa League domestic fixtures

Add as preferred source on Google

With Celtic’s dates for the group stages Europa League having been confirmed, we thought we’d take a look at the domestic fixtures that the Hoops will face on the back of each of those games, and give them a rating out of five on the difficulty scale.

One will be the easiest game, and five will be the hardest game, you get the idea.

Celtic’s Europa League fixtures are as follows:

Celtic v Milan (October 22nd); Lille vs Celtic (October 29th), Celtic v Sparta Prague (November 5th); Sparta Prague v Celtic (November 26th); Milan v Celtic (December 3rd) Celtic v Lille (December 10th).

Now that has been dealt with, lets us deal with the domestic fixtures.

Aberdeen v Celtic, October 25th

As pointed out on 67HH on Friday, this game comes on the back of a huge week for Celtic. The Hoops will play Rangers, Milan and Aberdeen in eight days. Now that’s exciting. It won’t be an easy game though, as aside from a 3-0 loss to Motherwell Aberdeen have been in good form for most of this season. Probably one of the hardest post-Europa League games Celtic could play.

Difficulty rating: 4/5

Aberdeen v Celtic, November 1st

Yes, it’s Aberdeen again, this time in the long-delayed Scottish Cup semi-final. It has been on the back burner for a while, but Celtic are only two games away from a quadruple treble. That incredible feat should not be underestimated. Just like the league game it won’t be easy, but it ranks less on the difficulty scale due to Celtic’s great Hampden Park record.

Difficulty rating: 3/5

Motherwell v Celtic, November 8th

Yet another away game, as Celtic head to Fir Park for the first time this season. David Turnbull will have a chance to shine against his old club, in a game which can at times be a feisty affair. Again, probably one of the tougher trips to get after a European match, but Celtic will be more than capable of getting the job done if need be. Don’t expect these games to be full of free-flowing football though, it’s all about the points.

Difficulty rating: 3/5

Betfred Cup Second Round Tie, November 29th

It sums up the odd nature of this season that Celtic will begin the campaign to make it five Betfred Cup wins in a row in November. This tournament could be more of a distraction that anything this season, as Europe and 1o in a row is the priority. We don’t know who Celtic will face yet as the competition hasn’t even started, although the Hoops will be seeded at least.

Difficulty rating: n/a

Celtic v St Johnstone, December 6th

Now we are into the home stretch of the group stages, and the fixture computer has arguably been kind to the Hoops on this occasion. Unless St Johnstone have transformed their season in the next two months, this should be a comfortable enough day for the Hoops, who could win such a game with a raft of changes. Now watch that turn into a case of famous last words.

Difficulty rating: 1/5

Celtic v Kilmarnock, 13th December

The final game to be played post a Europa League fixture. Again, the fixture looks to be a relatively kind one for the Hoops. It should be remembered that we did draw 1-1 with Kilmarnock in August. However, at home it should be a different story. Probably should be ranked as a bit more difficult than the St Johnstone game as Kilmarnock are a better team than the Perth side.

Difficulty rating: 2/5

So there you have it. The games at the start of the Europa League run seem like the most difficult ones for the Hoops. Neil Lennon will be well aware of this, and will have his team prepared as a result. Will the end result of these domestic games be six wins out of six? Celtic are more than capable of doing that.

In other news, Callum McGregor has dismissed worries over Odsonne Edouard’s performances.