Celtic’s late win despite being a man down, against Dundee United, was a spectacular result for the club to say the very least. Liel Abada might have faced quite a bit of criticism in recent months but he proved his ability to be at the right place at the right time on this occasion. It was more just three points for the Hoops as well, as it allowed them to cut down the gap with the Rangers to just two points.

Thus, if Celtic are able to beat the Rangers in the upcoming Glasgow Derby at Parkhead, they will go top of the league.

Not many fans would have seen this coming when the club had lost three of their first six Premiership games of the campaign under the management of Ange Postecoglou. But since then, they have not only developed into a very good side, but they have also shown the ability to grind out results even when not at their best. The match against Dundee United was a great example.

As reported by 67 Hail Hail, while speaking to BBC Radio Scotland, when asked about closing the points gap to two and the chance to go top with a win over the Rangers on Wednesday night, Postecoglou said:

“Look, we’ve kind of made a real concerted effort to only focus on ourselves. We got off to a pretty ordinary start in the league. When you lose three games in the first six, you have to be pretty much perfect from then on. There’s no point in getting anxious about other results.

“We’ve worked ourselves into a position now where we know if we win Wednesday night then we go top. But it won’t affect what we do.

“The end goal isn’t to be top in February, it’s to be top when the trophies are handed out. All it is is another opportunity for us to improve our football, which we’ll have to after tonight and to keep tapping into that spirit the players are showing.”

Celtic have the opportunity to go top with a win vs the Rangers

Yes, Celtic might have the opportunity to return to the top of Scottish football after a long time, but the aim should be to be there come the end of the season.

A lot will be riding on the result against the Rangers and it could have huge implications on the Premiership title race, but the team should not build it up in their minds to the point that if they do not get the result that they are looking for, then it ends up having a negative impact on their following games.

The signs are very positive heading into the Glasgow Derby after a long, long time though.

This article was originally posted here