Now that Hearts have been comfortably taken care of, Celtic fans are already looking ahead to next week’s huge title race derby at home to Rangers.
The Bhoys were in fine form during Saturday’s 3-0 victory. The team, manager and support have all shown they are up for the high-stakes occasion next week.
Unity is on full display and everyone knows that just a few more strong performances will deliver the silverware double we all crave.
Nothing can be taken for granted, of course. Nothing is won yet and Rangers won’t turn up at Celtic Park just to roll over.
Still, it’s hard not to make Celtic favourites and that’s the conclusion that Bhoys legend Kenny Dalglish has come to.
Home advantage crucial for Celtic vs Rangers
Speaking to The Sunday Post [05/05 print edition], Dalglish said: “The crunch match is on Saturday when they play against each other at Parkhead. That is going to be one helluva 90 minutes and the fans in the stadium and viewers at home are in for a treat.
“Home advantage will be massive and that has to make Celtic the favourites. With the backing of 60,000 supporters, it should make life easier for the Hoops and harder for the Gers. But it can also work against you if you are not playing well and the crowd gets restless. Rangers will try and unsettle their opponents and the fans.
“Celtic will feel they can all but put the title race to bed with a victory. They’ve not lost to Gers this season and that is an impressive stat.”
Confidence not complacency for Celtic
Nobody wants Celtic to become over-confident. They need to keep the hunger to win they’ve shown in recent weeks and take that into the derby.
Yet, there’s nothing to fear from Philippe Clement’s outfit. As Dalglish notes, they’ve failed to lay a glove on the Bhoys this season and anything other than a victory is a bit of a disaster for them.
Celtic go into the match holding all the cards knowing that just a draw would be a pretty big step towards retaining the title.
That’s a fantastic advantage to hold for such a high-stakes fixture, especially with a full Paradise roaring them on.