Celtic were set to face Aberdeen today, but that match has now been postponed by the referee in the "interest of player safety".
In a statement posted to X, the Dons announced the postponement, but supporters of both teams are understandably disappointed. Away fans had already begun the over two-hour-long journey to the Granite City, but now, they have no choice but to turn around.
Although fans have every right to be frustrated, this could actually be a positive for Celtic.
More time for new signings to settle
Celtic have three more games before going into one of the most intense periods of this season. The Hoops will face Dundee in the Scottish Cup on Saturday, before taking on Livingston mid-week, and Kilmarnock the following weekend.
After these fixtures, Celtic will have a difficult five-game run where they face VfB Stuttgart twice in the Europa League play-off, and Hibernian, Rangers and Motherwell in the league. Nine points are needed from the domestic fixtures if Celtic want to be in with a chance of the title, so Martin O'Neill is going to want as much squad cohesion as possible in the run-up.
On deadline day, Celtic made the signings of Joel Mvuka, Junior Adamu and Benjamin Arthur. All three signings will help push Celtic forward, and the Aberdeen game came at a difficult time. The players have likely not settled in yet, and although fans are eager to see them play for the first time in the Hoops, the delay could help them out.
The players have spoken out about how they are buzzing to make their debuts for the club, and now, they may be able to play their first match in a low-pressure tie against Dundee.
Steven Pressley's side sit 10th in the Scottish Premiership, and most are expecting Celtic to push them aside with ease at the weekend. This could be the perfect opportunity for all three players to come in from the off and prove themselves to O'Neill.
Only three new signings out of five overall, Tomas Cvancara, Julian Aurajo, Joel Mvaku, Junior Adamu, and Benjamin Arthur, can make the Europa League squad. If we're assuming that the in-form Cvancara and Aurajo are confirmed, that means there is one more spot up for grabs. The remaining three will want to show the manager why they deserve to snatch that final place.
There is currently no news on when the postponed Aberdeen match will be played but there will definitely be some frustration from the players as well, as they most certainly would've loved to take the chance to reduce the gap between Celtic and Hearts to three points with a win.