Tonight we’ll see what the Celtic boss’s priorities for the next ten days are.

Earlier this week, Keith Jackson described Brendan Rodgers as a man playing three-dimensional chess.

The metaphor might seem a little over the top, but it’s not entirely inaccurate. Rodgers is juggling a lot of priorities right now, and like any good chess player, he’s trying to think three or four moves ahead. That’s why tonight’s team selection could be very intriguing.

We want to win tonight. We see this game as a priority—a big deal. But we’ve got other irons in the fire. Next week, we head to Zagreb for a massive Champions League tie, one that could almost certainly see us through to the next stage if we win. After that, it’s the cup final. Both of those games are enormous for how this season will ultimately be remembered.

Earlier today, I wrote about December being the defining month of this campaign. At the risk of sounding heretical, that will not be decided tonight. In the grand scheme, this match carries slightly less weight than the Champions League game or the cup final.

It’s not because of the opposition in the final; it’s because the cup represents silverware—one of the three legs of a treble. And yes, winning the cup would allow us to put to bed the “Survival Lie” once and for all. That’s undeniably important.

Still, the Zagreb match and the final are the two must-not-lose games. Obviously, an invincible treble would be magnificent.

Winning tonight would also give us breathing room in the league—widening the gap over our title challengers, which could allow us to rest players later in the campaign, integrate new signings, and bring through youth. All the things you want to be able to do without sweating over results elsewhere.

But there’s an immediacy to Rodgers’ decision-making that cannot be ignored. His counterpart across the city faces similar dilemmas, but without the squad depth we have, his options are far more limited. That should give us confidence, but it doesn’t make our challenges any less pressing.

I can see the logic in fielding the strongest possible team tonight. Absolutely. But I can also see a scenario where Rodgers rests two or three key players tonight and on Saturday, keeping them fresh for what’s to come. With the cushion we already have in the league, the manager might be tempted to rotate some more. Hey, it worked at the weekend.

No matter what, tonight’s side will be strong.

That’s the nature of this Celtic squad—it’s packed with quality. But I wouldn’t be surprised if there are one or two unexpected omissions from the lineup. Rodgers might have a clear idea of his starting XI for Zagreb or the cup final and could opt to protect those players.

There are certain players, like Alistair Johnston at right-back, Nicolas Kühn on the right wing, and Daizen Maeda on the left, who you don’t want to risk unnecessarily. If not tonight, then certainly on Saturday, I expect these guys will be wrapped in cotton wool to ensure they’re ready for the critical fixtures ahead.

These are the big decisions top-class managers are paid to make. Rodgers knows that while tonight’s match is important to the fans, he’ll be criticised if a key player gets injured and can’t feature in the Zagreb game or the final. You can predict the headlines if something goes wrong: “Why was he in the team with those two massive games on the horizon?”

It’s the same scenario for Saturday. A full-strength side might seem logical, but if injuries occur, the media will pounce. That’s the nature of football management at this level.

I’m excited to see the team selection tonight. If it includes a few surprises, I won’t be shocked. Rodgers is a strategist, and he’ll be considering more than just the three points on offer.

Winning tonight would be fantastic—I fully expect us to get the job done no matter who plays, because we’re just that good. But we’ve got four games coming up in ten days, and there’s no doubt about it: two of them are bigger than the others.

Let’s see how it all shakes out.

The first episode of our re-launched podcast, The Trinity Tims, is live now. Please like, subscribe and share folks. We’re calling this one The Opening Goal.