Celtic have had a difficult time this season. Under three different managers, Brendan Rodgers, Wilfried Nancy and Martin O'Neill, it has been far from a breeze.
The Hoops have managed to pull things back, and they sit firmly in the title race. Only three points away from Hearts and two away from Rangers, the split will certainly be interesting, but before that, the Celts have a cup semi-final to worry about.
There are often complaints about the number of games footballers have to play every season. Still, captain Callum McGregor acknowledges that fixture congestion is the price that you have to pay to be successful.
He said: "I think it’s good to stay in rhythm as much as you can. Obviously, the league goes for a break this week. But for us, the semi-final, as you said, that’s the price of trying to be a successful team. It’s playing in all the competitions. There is never a rest period.
"It’s important for the team, again, another chance to improve the way we are playing. Tactically, technically, the understanding of the game, what we are trying to bring against a team we have just played seven or eight days ago.
"We know what St Mirren will bring to the game. We have seen it now. Working on it in training and trying to nullify that.
"As always, when you come to semi-finals, you have to turn up on the day. Perform. You have to do the hard yards, earn the right to play and go through to the tie, as always with semi-finals, the objective is to get to the final."
Celtic are going to be desperate for a cup win
Having already lost out on the League Cup in December to our semi-final opponents, St Mirren, Celtic will be eager to set things right. After the 1-0 victory against them in the league, there is hope that the result will go our way.
McGregor, for one, will be desperate to keep his impressive record intact. To date, across both youth and senior teams, McGregor has only lost two finals at Hampden. The first came last season when Aberdeen beat Celtic on penalties, then the defeat to St Mirren this campaign.
Despite the losses, he has still won 13 finals at the national stadium, which is an incredibly impressive record for the midfielder to have. He will be keen to add another win to that list, so let's hope the Celts can secure their place in the final with a win this weekend.
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