Celtic are now into the final stretch of the campaign and, under Brendan Rodgers’s stewardship, have silverware in sight.
Later today, the Bhoys take on Dundee at Dens Park in the Scottish Premiership, knowing we can retain a three-point gap at the top regardless of Rangers’ result at St Mirren earlier in the day.
There isn’t much to write home about on the injury front, apart from the fact that Daizen Maeda misses out despite recovering well from a hamstring injury initially set to keep him out for the rest of the season.
Potential, there is a scenario where the Japan international returns against Heart of Midlothian next weekend; nevertheless, James Forrest, Luis Palma, Hyunjun Yang and Nicolas Kuhn are charged with holding the fort for now.
Depending on Callum McGregor’s fitness situation, Maeda’s compatriot Tomoki Iwata will likely play a role against Dundee, either as a starter or from the bench.
Despite enduring injury struggles earlier in the campaign, the 26-year-old has re-entered contention over the last months, racking up 19 appearances in all competitions, scoring once and claiming two assists [Transfermarkt].
Going about his business efficiently, Iwata has earned praise from former Celtic defender Charlie Mulgrew for his exploits during McGregor’s recent absence from Rodgers’ starting line-up.
Celtic’ Tomoki Iwata cites previous title-winning exploits
In 2022, Iwata played a pivotal role in Yokohama F. Marinos’ J League title win, where they defeated Kawasaki Frontale to claim first prize on the last day.
Two years later, he is in a similar situation with Celtic, and the midfielder has shed light on why his previous experience can make all the difference at Parkhead as the Bhoys look to ward off Rangers to secure Scottish Premiership glory.
Iwata stated [The Scotsman]: “That season, I felt a different type of pressure to what I was used to because we were going for the title. As the games got less and less in the season – and the pressure built – we couldn’t play the way we wanted to. We felt that with maybe five games remaining. So we really started to feel how difficult it was going to be to win it.
“On the last day, both ourselves and Frontale won the games and we got the title by two points. We were ahead going into the final day against Vissel Kobe and had to make sure we didn’t lose. It was a lot of pressure but I don’t fear pressure.
“We had confidence that we could win the league and we managed to achieve it. It was the first title of my career so it was a fantastic moment to be there celebrating with my team-mate.”
He later added on Celtic: “Experiencing that pressure with Yokohama in 2022 is definitely helping me here at Celtic because it’s similar.” Finishing off, Iwata added: “We still have some games left here this season but I don’t feel nervous or not confident enough going into it.”
Celtic need to control the narrative in title race
For now, Celtic hold the advantage in the hunt for the Scottish Premiership title and retain a wealth of players with experience in getting over the line at Parkhead or similar high-pressure environments.
The support won’t accept anything less than three points every week between now and the end of the league campaign; however, Rodgers’ men need to control the narrative by deploying a calm atmosphere at Lennoxtown that can translate to performances on the field.
The Irishman is well-versed in this field and rest assured, he will be doing everything he can to ensure his first campaign back north of the border is successful.
