Martin O'Neill fears for Celtic's title chances if his side have any more slip-ups.
Celtic, who trail leaders Hearts by five points with just nine games remaining, have already lost seven Premiership matches in a chaotic season and head into Saturday's visit of Motherwell with one win in three league outings.
While O'Neill is pleased with the way Celtic have come through a tricky run of three away games – including two trips to Ibrox – in a week, he feels his side can't afford many more dropped points.
"It's crucial in every aspect [to win on Saturday] because you're running out of games," he said.
"I don't think we could drop too many points and still think we could win the league with the games running down."
Jens Berthel Askou's side could move within two points of Celtic with a win on Saturday in what has been an impressive season for the Fir Park club.
Motherwell boast the best defensive record in the top flight and hadn't lost a league game in 2026 until last weekend's 2-1 defeat at Dundee.
O'Neill expects a "really tough game" and added: "They've had a fantastic time. A bit of a setback last week at Dundee but they really have been the proverbial breath of fresh air for the league.
"They play matches without any real fear. They've been terrific, Hearts have been great this season, Falkirk have been terrific as well. It'll be a real difficult game for us."
