Celtic’s Martin O’Neill cautious of dropped factors as video games run out

Celtic have but to select up a league level in Dundee this season.

In October, they misplaced at Dens Park for the primary time since 1988, whereas Dundee United beat them for a second time at Tannadice final day out.

That took the champions’ complete of league defeats to eight, double final time period’s complete and 5 greater than the marketing campaign earlier than.

By the time Celtic kick off (16:30 BST), Rangers can have hosted Dundee United on Saturday (15:00) and Hearts can have performed their sport away to Livingston earlier on Sunday (14:00).

“Psychologically, there’s an advantage to playing early if you go and get your results,” O’Neill mentioned. “If you don’t, it opens the way for you.

“I’m hoping that between now and the tip of the season, it would work in reverse.

“You just have to try and take care of your own game that you are supposedly in control of.”

O’Neill gave an replace on injured gamers Arne Engels and Julian Araujo.

“It’s a thigh,” O’Neill mentioned of right-back Araujo, who has returned to mother or father membership Bournemouth for remedy. “He’s doing fine in recovery, now. We expect to see him back, hopefully in the not too distant future.

“Arne’s come again now. We’ll see. Each day it is a good day for him, he is skilled a lot of the week. We’ll simply preserve any eye on issues at this minute. We could not rule him out or in for Sunday.”