The Hoops have six games crammed across a jam-packed 17 days – including four hostile away trips
Celtic stopper Liam Scales(Image: PA)
This is how it feels to be Celtic.
Six powderkeg fixtures crammed into 17 days. Across three competitions, including four hostile away trips. It’s a mammoth run of matches that could make or break the Hoops’ season. But Liam Scales insists he wouldn’t have it any other way – and is embracing the chaos.
Celts will barely have time to breathe over the next fortnight, with crucial clashes in the Europa League, the Premiership and the Scottish Cup to contend with. Yet there will be no sympathy from title rivals Hearts and Rangers, who have neither Europe nor a rearranged midweek trip to Pittodrie cluttering their calendar.
Martin O’Neill’s side could mump and moan over the relentless schedule. But the reality is the champions would far rather be fighting on three fronts than watching from the sidelines.
Scales said: “It’s always frantic up here. There are always games coming up. It’s just going to be a challenge that we’re really looking forward to because we’re going to get an idea of where we are as a team this next round of games, which is brilliant.
“We want to just do as well as we can, so we’re looking forward to it. I can rest when it’s done. I like playing games. I prefer playing games to training.
“When you have a game every four or three or four days, you don’t train that much. You do feel fine. You have your couple of days to recover in between and you get into a rhythm and I think to stay in that rhythm is better than to come out of it.”
First up is a mouthwatering Europa League play-off knockout tie at home to Stuttgart tomorrow night. If you asked Celtic supporters where the two-legged showdown features in their list of priorities, it’s probably bottom of the pile.
But that doesn’t wash with Scales, who is determined to go as far as he can in Europe.
It’s just as well Celts added six new faces in January to their squad. Otherwise, O’Neill’s men may have struggled to cope with such a demanding stretch.
Celtic’s Junior Adamu celebrates after scoring to make it 1-1 vs Dundee(Image: SNS Group)
Scales admitted: “We have a big enough squad to manage that now. I don’t think the squad’s been this big this season. We’ve brought in a lot of bodies and boys are getting closer to coming back from injuries as well. I think we’re in a good position to deal with the three competitions and it gives us that opportunity to go and try and do really well in them all.”
Once this weekend’s home clash with Hibs is ticked off, Celts face FOUR away days on the bounce. Germany, Ibrox, Pittodrie – and then Govan again – all lie in wait in the space of just 10 days.
Scales accepts it’s far from ideal but said: “I think it is unfortunate to play away from home four times in a row but at the same time, you have to play these games and we’re just going to take them one game at a time because you can’t be looking at the four as a sort of a package.
“It needs to just be one game at a time and that’s how we’ll manage that.”
A dark cloud has hung over Celtic Park this season, with an endless list of issues on and off the park.
Yet despite four managerial changes, the Hoops somehow remain firmly in the title fight – as well as competing in the Europa League and Scottish Cup. The next few weeks will go a long way to determining how their campaign is judged as it reaches the business end.
Scales believes the Parkhead side have an opportunity to achieve something special and hopes new Bhoys like Junior Adamu and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain can play their part.
He said: “That’s the plan. We want to just get the results that we need and it’s a chance for us to really kick on now in a crucial time. There’s still a lot of games to play, but we’re just really, really looking forward to getting into these fixtures.
Celtic fans at Ibrox when they were allocated the full Broomloan Road stand
“We’re not in a bad position. We’re still in the running in three competitions and we know that we have the quality to do well in all of them. We just need to keep building and keep getting results. We need to get the new signings in and get them on board as soon as possible. They all are. They all have been really good. Obviously, seeing Junior’s goal was brilliant last weekend.
“It’s good to see them coming in and making an impact. We just need to keep building and we’ve got a good squad now. I feel like it’s good timing. All these games coming up, it’s good timing because I feel like we’ve got a bit of momentum now and we want to keep it that way.”
As if there wasn’t enough pressure on their shoulders heading to Ibrox for the March 1 title crunch, Celtic will be back in Govan a week later battling for a place in the Scottish Cup semi-finals.
Scales said: “Yeah, look, it’s different. Generally speaking, you have to beat Rangers to win these competitions most times. Not all the time, obviously, but it can happen where you have to beat them to go on and win the competition.
“So you kind of expect to play them at some stage and that’s how it goes, that’s how it is. I’m looking forward to it. It is a massive game and it’s obviously a win-or-nothing, so it hasn’t really been like that in league games so much.
“Obviously, they’re big games in the league. But we know what’s at stake, so it’s going to be a really, really big game and I’m looking forward to it.”
Celtic could be roared on by 7,000 fans if they reclaim the Broomloan Stand – which they are entitled to under Scottish Cup rules.
Scales added: “I don’t think I’ve played in a game where there’s been that many, so it’ll be nice to have them there.
“They’ll obviously make the atmosphere better and that’s good for us. But again, we need to just focus on the football and what we can control and that’s what we’ll do.”