Celtic's upcoming fixture list has been a point of discussion recently, and now, with the Hoops drawing Rangers in the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup, things just got even worse.
After a dramatic cup win against Dundee at Celtic Park, the Celts progressed to the next round as they chase a trophy. Things are about to be non-stop for the Celts, as their fixture is looking scary.
Starting on February 19, Martin O'Neill's side will face VfB Stuttgart at home and Hibernian at home. Those are two hard fixtures, but then, Celtic have a run of away games that will see them out of Parkhead until March 14.
Starting with the away leg of the Stuttgart tie, the Hoops will face Rangers, Aberdeen and Rangers again. The second derby will be to decide who takes their place in the semi-finals of the cup.
It'll be an exciting time for Hoops fans, but also terrifying. We all know that even a draw in any of the league games could result in us dropping out of the race for the Scottish Premiership title.
Rotation is key
Celtic will have to rotate a lot if they want to survive this intense period. With new signings like Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Benjamin Arthur and Joel Mvuka all missing out on the Europa League squad for the latter stages of the competition, O'Neill will likely turn to them to help out domestically.
Mvuka will have plenty of time to find his feet in the league after some supporters were disappointed with his start against Dundee. No one is ruling out the new boy so early, and we can hope he can start to thrive sooner rather than later.
Oxlade-Chamberlain will need some time to work on his match fitness. The midfielder hasn't played a game of competitive football in over six months, so he'll need to work hard on the training ground to prepare himself. Hopefully, he won't take too long to get up to speed, because he would be a brilliant option for domestic competitions. No doubt that the former Liverpool star will want to impress too, as he will likely want to stay longer than his six-month deal.
Although Arthur has missed out on the bench so far, you can probably expect to see him make a matchday squad soon. O'Neill seems to be confident that the defender can do well at Celtic, and with him only being here until the end of the season, I'm sure the manager will want to give him a chance at some point soon.
One thing is for sure: Celtic will need their top squad for specific fixtures. Although the Hoops can maybe afford to rotate against Aberdeen and Hibs, O'Neill will need to start his strongest 11 for both Stuttgart and Rangers ties. No fan will want to see us knocked out of either Europe, the title race or the Scottish Cup, and everyone at the club will know that.