Celtic are at a critical stage of the campaign as the prospect of a domestic double remains firmly on the table at Parkhead.
Four Scottish Premiership matches remain as the Bhoys aim for title glory, and Brendan Rodgers’ men hold a three-point advantage at the summit heading into their clash against Heart of Midlothian this weekend.
Furthermore, Celtic also have a positive goal differential of five compared to their city rivals, which could almost become an extra point should they maintain a healthy lead at the top of the pile.
Last weekend, James Forrest’s brace away to Dundee was enough to grant his side a priceless victory on Tayside despite a late rebuttal from the hosts via Antonio Portales.
At one point, the former Scotland international looked to be on the periphery in Glasgow’s east end; regardless, he has taken a leading role in the Hoops’ charge towards the finish line, scoring in back-to-back fixtures, with the other coming in the Scottish Cup semi-final against Aberdeen.
Taking his tally to six goals and one assist from 24 appearances this term against Tony Docherty’s men, the 32-year-old has been tipped as a potential inclusion to Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad for EURO 2024 this summer by pundits and fans alike [Transfermarkt].
Simon Donnelly talks up James Forrest’s ‘freshness’ at Celtic
Despite encountering numerous injury problems over the last couple of years, Forrest has looked sharp over the last few months, even if he isn’t nailed on to finish 90 minutes every week.
Speaking on Clyde 1 Superscoreboard, former Celtic man Simon Donnelly agreed with this notion, claiming that the ‘freshness’ he has added to the Bhoys’ forward line could well put him in the frame for an extended run under Rodgers alongside EURO 2024 contention.
He stated: “James has had his fitness and injury issues this season. He came in, I thought he looked really sharp at the turn of the year coming off the bench.
“He scored a couple of really good goals, which I think catches the eye and then he comes in for the semi-final and was excellent, and after that, I thought ‘he’ll go and play the last six’ (games of the season).
“There’s a freshness about him; there’s people I’m sitting with at the weekend saying now that the Scotland squad has gone to 26, all of a sudden he could be back in there. I think you need to look at that as a positive; he scores two great goals at the weekend.”
Undoubtedly, Forrest has offered a reliability on the flank that hasn’t always been present in our wide play this term.
Putting his previous fitness problems aside, what a story it would be if the Lennoxtown graduate could play a major role in pushing the Bhoys over the line over our next four league matches.