Now that Celtic’s rivals Rangers have sacked their manager, attention is turning to the upcoming list of fixtures for both Glasgow teams and what the table could look like by the time the Ibrox side figure out their future direction.
It’s unclear how long Steven Davis and Alex Rae will be in interim charge of Rangers, but it seems they will at least be in the dugout for a very tricky Sunday trip away to St Mirren in Paisley.
And Celtic can pile the pressure on in the build-up to that by taking care of their own business this Saturday afternoon, playing almost 24 hours in advance of the team already seven points behind.
Beating Kilmarnock at Celtic Park and picking up three more points would open up a massive ten-point lead over Rangers before they kick a ball.
A double-digit deficit in early October would be hard for them to accept. They’d have to stew on that for the entirety of an international break, too.
Celtic will obviously be well aware of the Michael Beale news that emerged on Sunday evening. It won’t be a main focus for anyone at Lennoxtown. Brendan Rodgers will no doubt show sympathy for him on press duties this week.
But I’d be very surprised if, internally, the Bhoys didn’t see this as an opportunity to really stamp authority on the season. The UEFA Champions League is a big deal this week, it’s the first home game of the campaign.
However, that match on Saturday is now looking big, too. A solid win with a strong performance will have those of a Rangers persuasion worried heading to high-flying St Mirren. It’s time to make them sweat.
In other news, Kenny Dalglish delivers bullish verdict on Celtic’s chances vs Lazio in UEFA Champions League.
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