There's every chance Martin O'Neill will get the result he's looking for against Utrecht this evening.
You only have to look at his record in his two short spells at Parkhead so far. Three wins and two draws leading into this evening's game, including an away point with ten men in Bologna last week. Seven wins and one defeat prior to Christmas. The solitary loss was away in this competition to the then Europa League leaders, Midtjylland, who are still in the top four and very well placed to avoid the play-offs.
O'Neill has a knack of making his teams greater than the sum of their parts. Could that turn out to be a problem, though?
In the grand scheme of things, with long-term injuries to key players like Cameron Carter-Vickers, Jota and Alastair Johnston, there is a serious doubt over Celtic's ability to sustain football on three fronts for much longer – especially as they're making a real meal of recruitment yet again.
At time of writing, 29 days into arguably their most important transfer window in recent memory, the Scottish champions have only secured two players on loan. Despite the current manager – and the two who preceded him – making it abundantly clear that reinforcements were needed in numbers and with urgency.
The fact that the club appears set to embark upon yet another last-minute scramble is beyond baffling. Other clubs in the division don't seem to have nearly as much difficulty.
I know, like Wilfried Nancy, that he was relieved of his post several weeks ago now but I'm reminded that Paul Tisdale was appointed as head of football operations in October 2024. What exactly has the football department at the club been doing in the intervening 16 months? Why are there not folders-full of scouted players dropping out of drawers at Celtic Park?
Poor and slow recruitment over the summer had Brendan Rodgers tearing his hair out, although his own apparent reluctance, according to major shareholder Dermot Desmond, to commit his longer-term future to the club may have been part of the overall inertia.
Fast forward to the end of January, and they're still looking for another striker after signing Tomas Cvancara on loan from Borussia Monchengladbach. They could also do with a play-maker in midfield. They need help, too, at centre-half with Auston Trusty suspended domestically and Liam Scales being asked to do a lot of heavy lifting.
Unless they have three or four signings ready to be unveiled between now and Monday night, it would strike me that progression in Europe might stretch Celtic to the absolute limit.
The form-book, as well as O'Neill's European nous, would suggest Celtic will be too strong for their Dutch visitors and will collect the three points that would take them into the Europa League knock-out phase. An achievement to be applauded, if it happens, but one that will also need to knock the recruitment department into overdrive if it's not to be a curse in disguise.
