It is a return to domestic action for Celtic this weekend as they make the trip to Paisley to face St Mirren.
Ange Postecoglou 's side travel to face the Buddies after a double header in the Champions League group stage. And following a 3-0 defeat to Real Madrid before a 1-1 draw with Shakhtar Donetsk it is two games without a win for the Hoops - something Ange Postecoglou and his men are not used to. In fairness, the European clashes were originally meant to be split by a league fixture with Livingston at Parkhead, but the fixture was postponed following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
It means Celtic will be looking to get back to winning ways with Stephen Robinson's side standing in their way. The Paisley outfit have had a decent start to the season themselves, sitting sixth in the table after three wins and three losses in their opening six of the cinch Premiership 2022/23 campaign. But despite defeats in Europe, the Parkhead outfit enjoy a squeaky clean card domestically taking all 18 points available in the league so far.
But asPostecoglou says, "we never stop". And it has been a busy week of travelling, playing and training for the men in green and white. Here are five things Record Sport spotted at Lennoxtown as Celtic put their finishing touches to this weekend's preparations.
Searching for more
Things have been as perfect as can be when it comes to the Premiership this season for Celtic. But Greg Taylor looked to be hinting he is searching for a little more during a training session at Lennoxtown on Friday. The 24-year-old made his Champions League debut against Real Madrid last week, putting in a decent display despite a disappointing night overall for the Hoops in front of an electric Parkhead crowd. The left-back held on to his starting position as Celtic made the trip to take on Shakhtar on Wednesday, with many calling for him to be named Man of the Match after he dealt with the Ukrainians' attack as well as driving forward with purpose at various points during the 90 minutes.
And now the former Kilmarnock man will be looking to kick on even further as the season progressing, with his sights surely set on keeping up the winning ways as Postecoglou takes his men to Paisley for a Sunday lunchtime cracker this weekend.
Just a wee bit
Unusually, Callum McGregor has faced a little criticism after his team's last two Champions League clashes. The skipper was pulled up by former Parkhead star Charlie Nicholas for allegedly "not making enough forward passes" during the Real Madrid clash last week, despite the stats saying otherwise And after the draw in Poland on Wednesday, Chris Sutton reckoned the Hoops captain needed to take a little blame for Shakhtar's equaliser after committing to an interception in the middle of the park but arriving a split-second too late.
Are the two games without a win playing on McGregor's mind? Maybe just a wee bit. But the skipper is a professional and will no doubt be focusing on Sunday's game now as he looks to lead Celtic to another three points in the league.
Me, cold? Aye
Postecoglou looked full of smiles as he head Celtic's final training session before it was back to league business.
The boss broke his silence when asked about the pending investigation into Hoops fans after a select few unveiled a banner in response to the death of Her Majesty the Queen last week. The Aussie boss simply explained he had nothing to add as he and the club wait for the investigation unfolds.
Despite the off-field drama, the gaffer has to keep his side focused ahead of Sunday's clash. And he looked to be doing do in good spirits at Lennoxtown on Friday. Note the big jacket, though. It doesn't look like Ange has quite acclimatised to the Scottish temperatures yet. It is only September the cosy coats stay in the wardrobe until at least October around here, do they not?
A hard day's graft
It is hard to imagine any Celtic training session is walk in the park. And the players looked to be a bit out of puff as they got stuck into a running drill at Lennoxtown on Friday. Alexandro Bernabei can't seem to hide how he feels in this snap as he got down to the graft over the hurdles alongside Daizen Maeda, Yosuke Ideguchi, Liel Abada.
What is the saying? Fail to prepare, prepare to fail? And it looks as if that is not an option as Postecoglou's men keep up the hard work on the training field to make sure they keep up their winning ways on the pitch.
St Mirren will sure put up a fight on Sunday, though, as they look to keep hold of their spot in the top six. A position they hold purely down to goal difference, with Livingston also having nine points on the board.
Sprinting into the starting side?
Summer signing Oliver Abildgaard is yet to get any minutes under his belt in a Celtic jersey since arriving on loan from Rubin Kazan. The Danish defensive midfielder has had to settle for the bench but will no doubt be looking to make his move to the starting squad. And impressing his boss during training is the perfect way to do just that.
The 26-year-old looked focused as can be at Lennoxtown as he works to get himself to a match fitness level. Prior to Celtic's midweek Champions League clash with Shakhtar, Ange Postecoglou gave a little insight into where things are with his new recruit. "Oli is working his way through his fitness so he’ll be in the squad but he’s still got a bit of work to do it’s fair to say as he missed all of pre-season and has been training by himself", the Parkhead boss explained.
