Celtic have lost six of their last 10 games and are facing the question of whether their season is heading for a regression. The team remains top of the Scottish Premiership, but a 2-2 draw with Dundee United was a missed opportunity to extend their lead.
After defeats to Rangers in the League Cup and in the league, Celtic responded with a win over Motherwell, a 7-1 thrashing of Hearts and a 2-1 comeback win against Hibernian. Those results temporarily stabilised the team, but the draw with Dundee United again cast doubt on their consistency.
Rangers and Hearts were given the chance to close the gap if they won their postponed games. Rangers have already booked their place in the League Cup final after beating Aberdeen, which has increased the pressure on the leaders.
Celtic are due to host Besiktas in the Europa League. The Scottish side have started the tournament with three defeats and need a win to keep their chances of progressing.
Former Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonner described the weekend as “brilliant” for Rangers on BBC Radio Scotland.
”They are in the Cup final and Celtic's loss allows them to close the gap when they play their postponed match. That puts a lot of pressure on Celtic, with the European game coming up in midweek. It will be difficult for the team to recover from that“, said Bonner.
Celtic thus enter their next match with two immediate problems: the need to maintain their lead in the championship and a poor start in the Europa League. The result against Besiktas will show whether the team can break the negative streak or whether the crisis will deepen.
Source: bbc.co.uk