In a season full of them, Celtic characteristically slipped up again in their game in hand against Dundee during midweek. In a scoreless draw, it was Dundee who came closest to finding a goal, through a freak challenge by Dedryck Boyata that sent the ball spinning onto the post. Not that it will matter; Celtic are still 10 points ahead of nearest challengers Aberdeen with just 6 games left to play.
Brendan Rodgers will be looking for a reaction from his players tomorrow though, and a fixture against league strugglers Hamilton may present the perfect platform.
The home side are only 5 points way from the relegation zone – albeit with a game in hand on their rivals – and this game arguably matters more to them than Celtic.
Martin Canning, therefore, will have his players primed for the importance of it all. They’re unfortunate to have captain Dougie Imrie out through injury while Celtic may see the return of key defender Kieran Tierney in time to make the team, although Rodgers might be wary of risking him on Hamilton’s notorious artificial pitch.
He has goalkeeper Craig Gordon back in the first-team after he started against Dundee, and will have to decide whether to remain with him or bring back the impressive Scott Bain. Leigh Griffiths and Patrick Roberts, in relieving news for supporters, are now fit and will be hoping for some game time.
Celtic have enjoyed their recent history with Hamilton: they’ve never lost at New Douglas Park, and Hamilton have only won just one of their previous 20 top-flight league meetings with their lofty opponents.
Celtic’s next game is the Scottish Cup semi-final against Rangers and Rodgers might have one eye on that important fixture when picking his starting lineup tomorrow. He’ll certainly want to win to take his side another step closer to their 7th league title in a row, but he’ll not want to risk losing any key players to unnecessary injuries.