Celtic are back up against St Mirren this weekend, a fixture that has become all too familiar across the season.

There have already been four meetings between the sides. Celtic have won three, but it has not been straightforward.

The one that still lingers is the League Cup final defeat in December. That result put serious pressure on then-manager Wilfried Nancy not long into his time in the job.

The league games have all followed a similar pattern. Tight, scrappy, and sometimes decided late.

Luke McCowan grabbed an 87th-minute winner on opening day. It feels like a different season now.

The return game was even later. Callum McGregor struck in the 95th minute from distance to seal another 1-0 win.

The most recent meeting followed a similar script, albeit Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored early, then saw another ruled out. That was enough.

St Mirren pushed in the second half that day. They did not test Viljami Sinisalo enough, but they were comfortable on the ball and carried a threat.

Celtic fc Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain Scores
3E7WGG3 Celtic’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scores their side’s first goal of the game but is given offside during the William Hill Premiership match at Celtic Park, Glasgow. Picture date: Saturday April 11, 2026.

That will not be lost on Craig McLeish heading into Hampden. The St Mirren interim manager knows what his side are up against, but he is not dressing it up. He said (East Kilbride News):

“The [Hampden] pitch was always in good con­di­tion. It’s a massive pitch and we have to be aware of both sides of that.

“Celtic will have peri­ods where they con­trol the game but we have to make use of the size of the pitch as well, espe­cially with how we’re look­ing to try and play.

“We have to exploit spaces and use the pitch to our advant­age as well.”

St Mirren have already shown they can live with Celtic over 90 minutes. They are organised, they are patient, and they are comfortable giving up possession.

Hampden suits that approach if Celtic are careless.

For O’Neill, the decisions this weekend carry weight. His side have lacked cohesion for long spells this season and it has shown in matches like these.

This is not a tie that will be won on reputation. Celtic have edged this fixture three times already, but only just.

Another slow start or sloppy spell, and it becomes a problem again.

They have been here before this season. Now they need to handle it properly and make sure there is no repeat of December.