Amidst all the frenzy surrounding the upcoming Scottish Cup semi-final between Celtic and the Rangers, the Premiership post-split fixtures were announced as well. Over the next five games, the Hoops just need one more win to guarantee themselves a second straight league crown under the management of Ange Postecoglou.
There is a good possibility though, that they could end up winning the title away from home. Their first post-split fixture is away at Tynecastle Park against Hearts. The second one is away at Ibrox against the Rangers.
Of course, most would agree that those are Celtic’s two biggest rivals in the Premiership right now. Thus, they would enjoy being crowned the champions of Scotland away at their ground. But at the same time, there is just something magical about getting over the line inside a full capacity Parkhead.
Postecoglou did not sound like the biggest fan of the decision to have the league leaders’ first two post-split fixtures held away from home. As reported by 67 Hail Hail, he said while speaking on Celtic TV:
"“It’s always a bit of a challenge, I guess, for those doing it. I would have liked to have at least one home game in those first two just because it means that again, our supporters won’t see us for three weeks.“So it would have been nice, but ultimately it is what it is.“We’ve just got to deal with what’s before us.”"
Celtic boss unhappy with SPFL decision regarding post-split fixtures
No matter what the fixture list looks like, the duty of Celtic is to put in their best performance and get the title race over the line as soon as possible. The ideal scenario would be winning it away at Tynecastle Park, in the very first chance.
Of course, some fans will be excited by the idea of winning the league title away at Ibrox as well. Let’s see how things turn out.
For now, the focus has to be away from the Premiership though. Celtic have a huge Scottish Cup semi-final game coming up at the weekend against the Rangers. A lot is riding on the result. For the Hoops, it is their chance to keep their treble hopes alive. For the Ibrox side, it is their final chance to win silverware.