All Eyes On Lennoxtown As Celtic Hurtles Towards The Final Lap In The Title Race.

International fortnight is not yet done, but we’re over the tough part and we’re into the home straight. For all of us, I’m sure that’s a blessed relief.

The best thing about this one has been seeing Israel crash out of the Euros, and I’ll be writing more about that later on because that’s a bigger story than it seems to be and one that needs to be explored.

We’re now moving towards Livingston, and beyond that Ibrox. Two tough away games. The good news is that four points in those matches will put us in a great position for winning the title.

Six points from them and I think we’re the favourites and Ibrox’s team will collapse like a pack of cards. The coming game at Livingston might be the harder of the two in some ways, because it is the one that will present us with the biggest questions about the squad.

Because at Ibrox the team picks itself. Sort of. Depending on who is fit, which is the key. But the choices at Livingston are much more difficult.

Do we go with the full-strength team and risk injuries on that appalling pitch, or do we bench some of the superstars just in case? There is validity to both of these options.

The argument is legit on both sides.

That’s why I say that the Livingston game is possibly the harder of the two. Because this is the one where the team doesn’t automatically pick itself. This one will present the manager with the hardest choices and he pretty much needs to nail the decisions.

Much of that will depend on what happens this week at Lennoxtown.

That’s where our eyes should be.

Will we see McGregor? Will we see Hatate play a full part in all the sessions? Will Scales be fit? Nawrocki? God knows we have to avoid further injuries; that will drop morale through the floor and reinforce the very strong impression about a doomed campaign.

I hope we do. To see the captain, in particular, back in the mix would be a massive lift to us. But he has a week again on the back of this game if that’s going to help, and it might because McGregor is basically a machine and has powers of recovery which defy belief.

Yeah, this is a big week and Lennoxtown is where we’re going to learn a lot of the things about how the next game is going to go, and perhaps even the one beyond that. I’m nervous about the week ahead, because it might be decisive.