Celtic welcome Dundee United to Parkhead tonight in a Scottish Premiership encounter that pits first against fourth, with the hosts chasing a fourth consecutive league victory.
Martin O'Neill has admitted he has a job on his hands as he looks to steer Celtic away from a crisis of confidence. The Hoops bounced back from a disastrous run of results before the international break with a thumping victory over Hearts, but a nervy, unconvincing comeback win at Easter Road hinted some fragility still remains.
Fans will be demanding a big win against Dundee United to prove to the rest of Scottish football they are going nowhere. There is the added bonus of knowing that one of their direct rivals will drop points, with Hearts hosting Rangers at Tynecastle in the other game.
United in strong form
United should not be discounted. Unbeaten in their last five, they are motoring along nicely under Jim Goodwin, and a European spot looks well within their reach. If results go favourably for them tonight, they could even move to within a point of third place.
It is first versus fourth in what promises to be a high-quality encounter under the Parkhead floodlights.
O'Neill admits to task at hand
O'Neill is battling to keep his side at the top of the domestic table against the backdrop of an excruciating Europa League campaign. A win over Dundee United could see the champions open up a seven-point gap over Rangers, depending on the Ibrox side's result in a second-versus-third clash with Hearts at Tynecastle.
Former Celtic boss Neil Lennon has warned his old mentor faces a major task in boosting the sagging spirits of players and supporters alike following a wretched run of results which have seen them lose five of their last eight games. O'Neill, who revealed that Alistair Johnston is now expected to spend another three weeks on the sidelines, admits he cannot afford to take anything for granted after a traumatic period at the helm.
Hogh's struggles and Donovan's ambition
Celtic striker Kasper Hogh has been broadly abysmal since signing for the club, according to analysis of his early appearances. His game-winning hat-trick against Kilmarnock promised much, but since then he has barely tested an opposition keeper. Celtic have looked much better with Hogh on the bench and Camilo Duran leading the line, and the numbers back that up. Hogh has played 52% of their league minutes so far, and 12 of their 25 goals have come when he has been out. Celtic's two most recent games – the 7-1 demolition of Hearts when he was benched, and the cagey fightback victory over Hibs when he was restored to the No.9 role – tell the full story.
Meanwhile, Colby Donovan, who jokingly refers to himself as a bit of a loose cannon inside Celtic's dressing room, is deadly serious about his ambition to explode onto the scene just like his role model Kieran Tierney once did as a graduate from the club's youth system. On Monday, he capped off a whirlwind year by signing a new contract which will keep him at Parkhead until the summer of 2031.
In other news, a former EFL chairman has revealed a secret £40m plot to take Celtic and Rangers into the English Championship was on the brink but was foiled by a vigilant newspaper reporter. Keith Harris, who chaired the English lower leagues for six months in 2002, claims board members from Celtic and Rangers, as well as the SFA and the SPL, shook hands on the deal at then-Rangers chairman David Murray's house.
