The international break is coming to a close and Celtic Women will soon be returning to league action. There are some big matches to come and many ways for the Ghirls to secure the league title come the final day of the season at Parkhead.
There is a huge game on the horizon as Celtic Women take on city rivals Rangers this weekend. If they lose, it will put the Ghirls in an incredibly difficult position, and Broadwood certainly isn’t an easy ground to go to.
Celtic trail Rangers by seven points and a victory against them would reduce that gap. They have a much larger goal difference, so the Ghirls will need to rely on points if they want to retain their title.
Games to keep an eye on
With eight games left to play, Celtic will need to pick up as many points as possible, if not every point. Two must-win games are those against Motherwell, who are the only team in the top six with a negative goal difference. They also trail fifth place by 17 points.
Celtic will need to be on top of their game if they want to defeat the rest of the teams in the top six, but most importantly, Elena Sadiku’s side should be focusing on the advantage that a home game can give them. Rangers after the break is a difficult game so if the side do lose that, then the home game against the Gers on the 11th of May could prove to be crucial.
Glasgow City is a top side as well but Celtic have proven that their squad can defeat them. If not a victory, they should at least be confident of a draw, so the Ghirls really need to bounce back after the recent 2-1 defeat when they face them on May 4th.
There are still many routes to the title, so it’s almost impossible to predict such a close race. But the Ghirls need to continue believing.
Key players to watch
Of course, every role will be crucial as we get to the business end of the season, but some players have been in incredible form. They will need to be at their best moving forward as well.
Firstly, Saoirse Noonan has been an asset for the club since joining in the summer, having scored 23 goals in 21 league appearances this season. Recently, some supporters have felt that she hasn’t been getting the service she needs and has been being subbed off before she has gotten the chance to make an impact.
Emma Lawton is another key player. She joined Celtic from Partick Thistle this season and has made 16 starts since arriving. Sadiku clearly relies on her heavily, and with solid defensive stats and a good attacking output, you can understand why.
In the midfield, Sadiku has a range of options but one notable player is deadline day signing Momo Nakao. She has only made two appearances so far, only one of them being a start, but her stats show that she is already making an impact in green and white.
If the head coach wanted to go for a more experienced option though, Colette Cavanagh would strongly suit her squad. She is a very creative player who has years of experience in the top-flight of Scottish football. She has only made 10 starts this season, so she hasn’t been given the chance to fully shine, but some supporters think that she could be the solution to Celtic’s creativity conundrum.