It’s a massive week for Celtic and Ange Postecoglou as they get set to take on their two toughest ties to date.
The Bhoys have been on a roll lately and scored back to back 6-0 victories in the SPFL. They also hold two-goal lead over their Europa League opponents going into Thursday.
While it’s absolutely right to get excited by the prospect of Celtic turning a corner and coming out of what was an awful period for the club – there’s likely to be setbacks along the way.
First up is Alkmaar away; Celtic have put themselves in a good position, but can they get the result in Holland? Ange Postecoglou says he will not compromise on his style, so we’re going to see a Celtic team intent on pressing and harassing the home team. Could it work? Yes. However, if we concede an early goal then shakiness can hinder our progression. The team will have to hold their nerve and see out games this season at some point – this might just be one of those games.
Then we head off to Ibrox into a packed crowd expecting to beat us. There was not much to shout about in these derbies last season. There was nobody in the stands and the Ibrox club revelled in it. If we can take ‘Ange Ball’ to Ibrox and implement it like the manager would like – there’s every chance we get a result.
The big takeaway heading into the game on Sunday is certainly Celtic have a chance. I wouldn’t have said that a month ago. We might lose in the end but I expect this to be a competitive tie.
A win would do wonders for the Hoops, a loss would be disheartening but not fatal. It’s going to be a big week.
