If you asked any Celtic supporter back on 1 August to predict the events of this season, suffice to say no one would've been correct.
Here is our best attempt at a summary. Celtic were first dumped out of the Champions League play-offs on penalties by Kairat, a team based on the Kazakh border of China. By October, manager Brendan Rodgers had resigned following a public falling out with Peter Lawwell, Dermot Desmond and other members of the board. Lawwell himself would resign on New Year's Eve, citing "intolerable abuse and threats" from supporters.
Back on the management front, two decades after departing, club legend Martin O'Neill would come in and win seven of eight matches during an interim spell. He would be replaced by Wilfried Nancy, who, after losing six of eight games, was sacked after just 33 days in the job, replaced by O'Neill.
That, though, is only a brief documentation of the chaos. Having said all of that, there is still plenty to play for in the second half of the season. One player in particular appears to be up for the fight.
What Sebastian Tounekti said on Wednesday
On Thursday evening, Celtic played out a very entertaining 2-2 draw with Bologna in the Europa League at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara. That though doesn't even tell half the story. The Hoops were 2-0 up by half time, Reo Hatate and Auston Trusty on target, but were up against it after the Japanese midfielder had been sent off for lashing out at Juan Miranda.
O'Neill's side put in a backs-against-the-wall performance and, sure enough, the Rossoblù did fight back to make it 2-2, albeit the Celts held on for a share of the spoils. That point could prove crucial because now, victory over Utrecht in Glasgow next Thursday will secure a spot in the knockout stages. With the Eredivisie side already eliminated, they'll surely fancy their chances.
Ahead of the game, summer signing Sebastian Tounekti was on pre-match media duties alongside O'Niell and this is what he had to say:
"We fight for everything"Sebastian Tounekti
The winger also added that at his previous clubs "we were supposed to win almost every game", but at Celtic "it is different".
Tounekti has recently been away at the Africa Cup of Nations. He featured during all three of Tunisia's group stages matches, before the Eagles of Carthage were dumped out by Mali on penalties in the last 16 in Casablanca. Manager Sami Trabelsi was duly sacked, replaced by Sabri Lamouchi, a new coach the 23 year old will be seeking to impress with a World Cup on the horizon.
Back at club level, Tounekti scored just his third goal for Celtic on Sunday. After being introduced as a substitute, he curled home the clincher against Auchinleck Talbot at Rugby Park. The Bhoys will now host Dundee in the fifth round of the Scottish Cup on 7 February.
In the Premiership, the Hoops are second, level on points with Rangers, six adrift of leaders Hearts, who they face at Tynecastle this weekend. If O'Neill's side is to reclaim domestic silverware, as well as make progress in Europe, Tounekti is one of the key figures they will need to be firing on all cylinders. Well, based on what he said in Italy, he appears to be ultra-motivated for what is to come.