Celtic return to Premiership action this weekend when Motherwell visit Celtic Park on Saturday, and former Hoops defender Greg Taylor believes the title race is still far from finished.
Celtic sit five points behind Hearts with nine matches left to play. That gap means the champions cannot afford many slip-ups in the run-in.
Recent weeks have at least given Celtic momentum. The penalty shootout win at Ibrox in the Scottish Cup showed the team still has fight in it. The Hoops defended their box for long periods and stayed calm when the tie went to penalties.
The squad is also dealing with injuries. Callum McGregor missed the derby through a calf issue and Kieran Tierney has been managing a problem of his own. Taylor believes those absences matter but expects the team to improve once key players return.
He said: (Premier Sports), “I do (still think Celtic have the quality to win the league). It will be difficult.
“There are nine games to go and Hearts are six points clear, so as time goes on it becomes harder and you probably have to put Hearts as favourites.
“But I still feel Celtic have a chance. Hopefully big players come back. You’ve got guys who have done it before.
“A few seasons back we were behind Rangers and James Forrest went on an unbelievable run and almost won us the league himself. You can see him finding form again.
“Ali Johnston will come back and hopefully Callum (McGregor) and KT (Kieran Tierney) are back soon as well. I could be wrong, but there’s still something there that tells me Celtic might have a right chance.”
Taylor’s point about experience matters. A lot of players in this Celtic squad have been through tight title races before, so they understand how quickly things can change when the pressure builds late in the season.
Matches like the one against Motherwell suddenly carry more weight. Drop points and the gap becomes harder to close. Win, and the pressure shifts back onto Hearts.
Celtic have shown recently that they can still get results even when the performance is not perfect. If a few injured players return in the coming weeks, the squad could start to look stronger just as the run-in really begins.
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