Brendan Rodgers insists Celtic are ready for a lung-busting run of fixtures that could see them play 23 games in the 80 days before the next international break.
For the first time in four years top flight players won’t benefit from a winter break after the new year. And while Rodgers admits he LOVED the mid-season reset he says his players will enjoy the new challenge thrown up by the monster fixture schedule at home and abroad. The league leaders face Motherwell at Parkhead tomorrow looking to cement their nine-point lead at the top of the Premiership. A trip across Glasgow to face Rangers in the second Old Firm league clash of the season comes in a week’s time with St Johnstone visiting Parkhead in between.
After the new year they have two more Champions League fixtures against Young Boys in Glasgow and Aston Villa away and look set to secure a play-off spot. Success in that and the opening two rounds of the Scottish Cup will mean a total of 23 games in 80 days before the Premiership takes a break for Scotland’s Nations League play-off double header against Greece late in March.
And Rodgers said: “There is no winter break this year and that is what I loved about Scottish football! It used to be amazing to have that break. It still is amazing here but we don’t have that rest period now.
“March is the next break for the players and we just need to keep grinding away. We need to stay focused and the boys have been brilliant in that sense. We have to prepare well and do our analysis.
“A lot of work goes into getting ready for all the games but we are used to it now. That is life at a big club when you are a player and manager. But look, we will enjoy it.”
The champions are well on course for a 60-game season and, while they took the plaudits for free flowing football in the earlier part of the campaign, Rodgers insists it’s impossible to keep the levels so high throughout a crammed campaign.
The Hoops have dropped off their levels slightly in recent weeks and an injury and ilness-hit side were held to a draw at Dundee United on Sunday. That’s allowed Rangers to move to within nine points at the top of the table.
But Rodgers said: “We would all love to play 90 minutes of high-intensity football in 60 games a season. But that’s not humanly possible.
“Sometimes you just have to grind out the wins and more often than not, this team have done that. We didn’t manage to do it on Sunday but took our point and now we move on to Motherwell.”
Rodgers is set to welcome defensive duo Cameron Carter-Vickers and Austin Trusty back from illness for today’s visit of fourth-placed Well who have drawn on their last two visits to Parkhead. Alistair Johnston is also set to return from a hip knock but Nicolas Kuhn remains a doubt.
Rodgers said: “Cameron and Austin should be back. They did some work on the bike on Sunday and all being well they should be available. We have so many games and we will need everyone available.”