You know the drill by now. No goals or points against Celtic since that fantastic 4-0 victory against them and too often they've simply walked all over us, as happened when they came to Paisley earlier in the season. Tomorrow's game probably isn't our best hope of ending that run due it being at Parkhead, but Hibs and St Johnstone have both left there with draws this season, while Kilmarnock took a terrific victory. So while Celtic are expected to walked away with the league title, they aren't infallible and it's not impossible we could come away with a result tomorrow - although with the Champions League now out the way for a few months they'll have a renewed focus on domestic matters.
As luck would have it that 4-0 win came a few days after the last time we failed to beat a team with just nine men. Last weekend against St Johnstone was definitely two points dropped and another recent example of our wastefulness in front of goal. We will almost certainly have far less possession and far less chances tomorrow, so we have to be far more clinical when an opportunity does present itself. On the other hand we can't gift Celtic an early goal either, something that has been a common problem when facing them (and oldco Rangers) in the last few years.
David Barron hasn't started a game for us since the shellacking at Celtic's hands in October, but it looks like he could be back in the side tomorrow as Lee Mair is suspended. He was hooked at half-time that day so hopefully tomorrow goes better if he does indeed make the starting 11. There aren't really too many other options unless we pull Jim Goodwin back into defence, as we did for the second half last week, but considering we won't be up against nine men this time around that could be asking for trouble.
I don't understand how John McGinn hasn't managed to score for us yet. That's maybe an odd thing to say considering he's only made a handful of appearances, but he has been terrific in all of them and if luck had been on his side could have been boasting a goal a game tally. Perhaps he was just saving them for the big occasion - after all, his brother Stephen came to the fore when he bagged his first two Saints goals on two separate visits to Parkhead. The latter got us our most recent point there so a repeat of that tomorrow would be just fine.
Nothing but the title will do for Celtic this season. Admittedly that's just par for the course when you're managing one of the Old Firm, but it's even more pertinent this season considering Rangers aren't in the SPL any more. Neil Lennon's men should have the title wrapped up well before the split, although they have been trying to make things interesting by dropping points here and there. That was while they were battling on two fronts and they deserve full credit for making it through the group stages of the Champions League. With that dealt with they will be looking to kick on and be in a commanding position at the top of the SPL before the European action resumes in February.
Celtic have got a couple of good youngsters in their squad at the moment, although it would be a bit unfair to say they're only getting more game time because there's less pressure due to a certain club's absence. James Forrest has been in the first team squad for a few years and has more than filled the gap created when Aiden McGeady left - although has had injury problems lately - while Tony Watt seems to go from strength to strength. He only got his shot at the end of last season because he was banned for the Youth Cup Final, but he scored two goals when he was given his chance and has since added six more - including the famous winner against Barcelona. My theory that he was just the next Mark Burchill doesn't look as if it was particularly accurate! Dylan McGeoch is another talented youngster although suffered a nasty injury earlier in the season.
The form of Watt may be good but Gary Hooper has been fantastic - so good that he may even get a call up to the England squad, which is quite an achievement considering how those south of the border view the game up here. The striker has scored 12 goals so far this season and has been linked with a move to the Premiership, something Lennon will be keen to stave off as long as possible. If he keeps up his current strike rate then he will get his England slot and it's fully deserved. Georgios Samaras seems to have found a bit of form this season, with some crucial goals in Europe, while Lassad and Miku have also chipped in with a few since arriving in August, although Anthony Stokes has been missing through injury
While Lennon may be hoping to keep Hooper he may not have much say in the matter when it comes to Victor Wanyama. He has been terrific this season and his manager claims he isn't going anywhere for less than £25million. That's perhaps going a bit over the top but his performances - which include a double at Greenhill Road earlier in the season - have been attracting admiring glances from elsewhere and there will surely be a few bids for him in the summer, if not sooner. It's perhaps just as well he's putting in such good displays as Scott Brown is battling against injury, although is continuing to play on despite needing an operation. When he does finally go for it Wanyama will still have Baram Kayal and Joe Ledley for company, while winger Kris Commons is back to his best and has been scoring goals at a frightening rate.
Perhaps the best performer for Celtic so far this season is their keeper. Now a permanent Bhoy after a couple of seasons on loan from Newcastle, Fraser Forster has been superb and his performances in the Champions League exceptional. He's gone one step further than Hooper and has forced his way into the England squad, although has yet to make his debut. It's surely only a matter of time until that happens as he's played a big part in helping a Celtic defence that was still looking dodgy at the start of last season. Efe Ambrose has been a good signing and Charlie Mulgrew and Emilio Izaguirre have also been impressive this year.
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