AEK to Kilmarnock

Our Champions League victors AEK Athens are in Lisbon tonight to face Benfica in a dead rubber.  The Greeks, zero points from five games, have capitulated since August, while Benfica’s only win in their five games came in Athens.

Little changed for Celtic until the League Cup semi-final at Murrayfield in October.  Since then we have looked a different team, but those games against AEK will haunt Celtic until we are back in Champions League qualification action next year (caveat scarcely acknowledged).

Last night’s added-time winner for Aberdeen will be a huge boost for Scottish football’s perennial also-rans but any manager would surely swap dramatic wins for consistency.  Second place is not out of reach (they are currently four points short), but despite their drubbing on Saturday, Kilmarnock are worth watching.  They have Dundee, Hamilton, Motherwell and St Mirren between now and the winter break.

If Steve Clarke’s men can take 12 points from those games, which they are more than capable of, they will be comfortably in second by the break, and well-positioned for the remainder of the season.