Celtic will take no chances with the win tomorrow. Nor should they.

On Tuesday night, it is probable that our Champions League campaign will come to an end for this season.

Before that, we have the weekend fixture, and I think a lot of fans may want the boss to rest a couple of key players in preparation for Tuesday night’s game. Because although the position is difficult, it is not impossible, and the manager will back himself to get something from the match. He will want to do everything in his power to give us the best possible chance. This, of course, is wholly understandable.

But I wonder if we should also be thinking about the next step we take domestically. I don’t have any fears about us beating Dundee United. We should beat them regardless of whether we rest key players or not—we have enough about us in the squad to make sure a home game like this is won.

But I can’t help but think we should take no chances. At this stage of the campaign, the sooner we win the title, the sooner we can start blooding some of the academy players if that’s part of Rodgers’ plan.

I would rather we didn’t throw those players in head-first while the league is still to be secured. I’m not going to say it’s in the balance, but it’s still to be wrapped up. If we can get it done quickly over the next month, that would give us a chance to play some of the academy guys in the run-in.

I think the priority now should be to get the league wrapped up as soon as possible, to make sure we book our next place at Hampden. And then, if the opportunity presents itself to play a couple of the younger players in matches that are essentially dead rubbers, we should take it.

This, of course, is where the match at Ibrox has taken on a strange significance, because if we hadn’t lost there, the possibility of an invincible treble would still be on the table. And there would be no chance of seeing academy players if that was still a live possibility.

I’m in no way trying to excuse that performance that day. I’m in no way trying to find a positive in an almost wholly negative display. But what I am saying is that it has created an opportunity—an opportunity by freeing us of a possible burden.

With no more hope of a unbeaten clean sweep, there’s no reason for us to be worried the next time we lose a league game, as long as we’ve accumulated sufficient points before that stage to virtually ensure that we’re champions.

We need to have one eye on next season. We need to have one eye on Hampden and the day we clinch the treble.

We need to have one eye on finding out whether Jeffrey Schlupp is worth keeping, because that might be an important consideration. If we decide to offer him a contract for next season, he could be a very good backup to Kieran Tierney at left-back. We need to find that out, as it’s looking increasingly unlikely that Greg Taylor is going to stay, no matter what we say or do—short of throwing money at it.

This is not the time for putting the Johnny Kennys up front or the Dane Murrays at centre-back. That time will come this season—as long as we have the title sewn up. The time for giving other fringe players their shot in the side will come, as long as there is no need to be concerned about dropping points and handing some kind of unlikely momentum to the club across the city.

I know it sounds preposterous to be thinking about this stuff, but we haven’t got to where we are under this manager by taking unnecessary risks. And we shouldn’t be doing that now.

Rodgers is doubtless thinking the same way.

He’s doubtless focused on Saturday and won’t even let Tuesday influence his thinking too much when picking the team.

You may see some modest rotation, but you’re not going to see any genuine shocks. You’re not going to see Dane Murray starting at the back. You’re not going to see Kenny up front. I very much doubt that Rodgers will jeopardise so much as a point by taking such needless chances. And I hope he doesn’t.

What you might see is Yang starting. McCowan stepping up and playing. You may see Ralston in the team. You will almost certainly see Jeffrey Schlupp start the game. But this isn’t the same as taking risks by blooding youth, which is a different category of risk entirely. That’s sensible rotation. That’s being smart.

He will want us to give it a real, proper go in Munich on Tuesday. He absolutely will. But we shouldn’t be thinking about it as the be-all and end-all of our season. Had we won at Celtic Park on Wednesday night, then you’re looking at the biggest game of the campaign so far. But it no longer is.

That game will be the Scottish Cup final when, hopefully, we’ll secure yet another treble. That’s how we should be looking at it. And I have no doubt that’s exactly how Rodgers will be looking at it.

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