Why today could be biggest league test yet for stretched Celtic squad

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It’d be fair to say, this is a Celtic squad heading to face Dundee United that’s stretched a fair bit.

With Jota, Anthony Ralston and Stephen Welsh all unavailable to Postecoglou, plus Jullien and Giakoumakis, the amount of options Postecoglou has is slim.

That’s why a win today would represent the utter resilience in this Celtic team.

Tannadice hasn’t been the happiest place for Celtic in the recent past. It was where the Hoops ceded the title in 20-21, against a stuffy Micky Mellon side [BBC]. Times have changed somewhat, but there are warnings from previous Dundee United meetings.

Tam Courts, a promising young Scottish manager, has his team playing some decent football. His Dundee United side a real go at Celtic when the two teams met at Paradise earlier in the season [Sky Sports]. Taking advantage of a defence that wasn’t quite there yet, Harkes’ header ensured a point for the Taysiders.

Revenge on two fronts should be at the forefront of the Celtic players’ minds then. Especially for those who hung around from last season. For the likes of James Forrest and Callum McGregor, the sting they felt at Dundee United’s stadium last season should be enough motivation.

Make no mistake though; today is going to be a tough one. The positive from that though is, provided a thin Celtic squad can get through the game and take a win back to Glasgow, it says a lot about the resilience in the Bhoys’ ranks.

Symbolically, beating Dundee United could be most significant Celtic win yet in Postecoglou era

The feeling of relief coming away from Celtic Park the other night was palpable. Hearts are very decent side this season, and the injuries mounted up for the Hoops. Yet, a win was secured that showed excellent defensive calm, and a willingness to still create chances rather than ride it out and hope for the best.

Earlier in the season, there’d be far more fear on days like today, as Celtic prepare to face Dundee United. However, the nature of previous wins, against St Johnstone, Aberdeen and the Jambos, provide some real confidence. Postecoglou has got his in-game management spot on, knowing his players and the league better than when he started.

That’s par for the course. But it’s not just the manager that’s growing in confidence. The players are adapting extremely well to what the manager wants.

Today, as Celtic face Dundee United, he has to rely on some guys that either haven’t seen action for a while, or aren’t automatic picks. Squad depth issues are coming to the fore. All this, at a ground where symbolic Hoops failures still permeate.

To win today would be a huge sign of how deep Celtic can dig. Mentally, physically and tactically, 3 points wouldn’t just keep us in the title race, it’d represent even more than that.

On paper, it’s a game we ought to win. But as Dundee United have proved to both Celtic and Rangers this season, they’re not pushovers, or anything like it.

All eyes turn to Dundee. Can Celtic find enough to get them over the line? With this manager, and even with a far from optimal squad, you wouldn’t bet against it.

Read more: Celtic boss on the risk he’s taking with Bhoys squad