Celtic manager Martin O’Neill believes the threat of losing their title is driving his players as they prepare for Sunday’s derby against Rangers.
Celtic are chasing leaders Hearts in the title race and could be six points behind by the time they kick off at Parkhead, depending on Hearts’ result against Motherwell on Saturday.
Despite Celtic’s long period of dominance, winning 13 of the last 14 titles, O’Neill says this season presents a very different challenge.
“I’m sure of it,” he said, when asked if the pressure is motivating his squad. “It’s not a position that the football club has found itself in in recent years. Generally speaking, they’ve gone clear and there’s been no opposition.
“There’s been plenty of opposition this year, not just from Rangers but obviously from Hearts.
“So it is a big, big change, not something that a number of these players have been used to. You have to get used to it. You’ve been chasing, you have to keep chasing.”
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Celtic will travel to Lanarkshire before hosting Hearts on the final day, where they could still secure a fifth consecutive title if results go their way.
O’Neill, however, is unsure whether his side are hitting top form at the right time.
“I genuinely don’t know that,” he admitted. “The games that we’ve had have been difficult. So I’ve not tried to analyse that much about it.
“We’ve got over the line. We had our difficulties on last week. Well, we certainly had. We had a bit of a problem with VAR, we had a bit of a problem with a few decisions.
“But I think the Old Firm game looks after itself.”
Reflecting on recent performances, he added: “The players have, since (losing at) Tannadice, had some time to reflect because of the international break.
“We got back to Dundee, got the late winner, and it’s gone from there. We’ve had moments where we’ve had to fight through things, but we’ve seen it through so far.
“But Sunday is a massive test for us.”
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