Celtic will be keen to shift the dial to preparations for our clash against St Mirren this weekend following the Glasgow Derby last Sunday.
The Bhoys showed themselves on a day when they were under difficult circumstances due to having no away fans present at Ibrox; nevertheless, there will be a tinge of disappointment at our inability to see out three points.
Of course, club captain Callum McGregor returned as a substitute in Govan following his injury issues, replacing Reo Hatate at the 65-minute mark.
In truth, the 30-year-old struggled to keep pace in the engine room, which is understandable due to being thrown in at the deep end, though he will be expected to be a key player during the season run-in.
Once St Mirren come to town in a few days, McGregor will have enjoyed a prolonged period of training to help improve his match sharpness, something that can hopefully come in handy amid the looming nature of another important clash against the Buddies.
Rangers head to Dundee in midweek and could climb to the Scottish Premiership summit with three points; however, Celtic know they can end Saturday top of the table by claiming three points against Stephen Robinson’s outfit.
Callum McGregor delivers injury verdict amid season run-in
Hoops captain McGregor has every requisite quality to help drag Celtic over the line in the title race; however, he has acknowledged his fitness isn’t at full capacity amid a lack of first-team training upon his return to the fold.
Speaking post-match after the Glasgow Derby, the Scotland international has vowed to do everything he can to be involved in our remaining six league fixtures.
McGregor stated [The Celtic Way]: “We’ll see how we go. I’ve had very few training games, but I am just trying to get up to speed and be involved in as many games as I can. I’ll be giving everything to try to play in as many games as I can between now and the end of the season.”
It is refreshing to hear that McGregor is committed to the cause as we chase a domestic double, though we do need to manage him carefully to avoid any recurrence of his fitness problems.
Tomoki Iwata and Paulo Bernardo give us options to shake up the engine room in that regard. Either way, the main thing is Celtic have a full-strength midfield to choose from as we approach some crunch fixtures.