It would be safe to say that the 4-0 win over Falkirk was a confidence booster for both the team and the Celtic fans. It had been a while since we had seen the Hoops play some free-flowing, front-foot football. But it will not be as simple when Martin O'Neill takes his team into the Scottish League Cup semi-final at Hampden Park this weekend against the Rangers.
It is very true that the Rangers have had some of their worst seasons ever in recent times. That being said, Celtic have actually struggled to get wins against them lately.
Let's see if it was down to how the two teams were balanced or whether it was just a matter of Brendan Rodgers failing to get the best out of them on the big days. We will find out a lot about this Celtic side on Sunday.
There is a double boost for the Hoops heading into that game though. It looks like both Kelechi Iheanacho and Kieran Tierney could be back to fitness at the weekend.
Celtic handed double boost heading into Rangers game
As reported by The Celtic Star, O'Neill said about the fitness situation of Iheanacho and Tierney heading into the match against the Rangers at Hampden Park:
"Yeah, doing fine at this minute. We’ll have a little look tomorrow, see how things are. The same with Kieran. I think he finished the game, didn’t he, against Hearts, but then felt it in training, a bit of a groin strain.
“But I think he’s going to be training tomorrow, he will hopefully be fit for selection for Sunday."
Johnny Kenny did score a brace in his first game under the management of O'Neill. That being said, it is important not to get carried away. Is he ready to make a major impact in the Glasgow Derby?
Never say never in football. But from what we have seen over the course of the season, it does not feel like so. So, it would be nice to have Iheanacho as an option, even if he is not ready to make a start on the day. The same can be said about Tierney as well.