It may only be October, but Celtic's next stretch of fixtures, domestically and in Europe, will have a huge bearing on the campaign ahead.
Celtic have been flawless so far on the domestic football front, winning seven from seven Scottish Premiership matches, and booking a place in the Scottish League Cup semi-final with victories over Hibs and Falkirk.
In the UEFA Champions League, Brendan Rodgers' men hammered Slovan Bratislava 5-1 on Matchday One of the new-look competition, before being swept aside by Borussia Dortmund, losing 7-1 in Germany.
The domestic calendar is on pause for the latest international break – but the next seven fixtures that follow, between this break and the next international fixtures, are massive.
See the full list and their implications below.
Read more:
- Every Celtic player on international duty during the break
- Watch Paulo Bernardo score another belter for Portugal U21s
Celtic v Aberdeen
Scottish Premiership Saturday, October 9, 3pm
Atalanta v Celtic
UEFA Champions League Wednesday, October 23, 5.45pm
Motherwell v Celtic
Scottish Premiership Saturday, October 27, 3pm
Celtic v Dundee
Scottish Premiership Wednesday, October 30, 7.45pm
Celtic v Aberdeen (Hampden; semi-final)
Scottish League Cup Saturday, November 2, 5.30pm
Celtic v RB Leipzig
UEFA Champions League Tuesday, November 5, 8pm
Kilmarnock v Celtic
Scottish Premiership Sunday, November 10, 3pm
As outlined above, Celtic return to Scottish Premiership action against an in-form Aberdeen, who are level with Celtic on points with seven from seven wins so far.
A few days later, Celtic face Atalanta in Italy and while the home side will enter than match as favourites, Brendan Rodgers and his players will be keen to bounce back from their previous Champions League defeat.
Away trips to Motherwell and Kilmarnock mark their own challenges in the league, with a a midweek visit from Dundee underscoring an already busy schedule.
Should Celtic wish to keep their European play-off target alive, RB Leipzig at Celtic Park is likely a must-win against a superb side, while Aberdeen must be overcome at Hampden in order to book a place in the League Cup final.
