Battle of the Lennons

It’s the battle of the Lennons at Celtic Park tomorrow with Danny enjoying the best run of form in his managerial career.  St Mirren are on 20 points, joint with St Johnstone, who they beat in Perth last month, and have already taken a point from Ibrox this season.  They are a technically sound team who will be more difficult to create chances against than Dunfermline were on Wednesday.  They can also play a bit.

Team formation will be enormously important for Neil Lennon.  This is the type of fixture he would previously select a 4-4-2, with two wingers, giving width to the game, but leaving a central two outnumbered by opponents who inevitably pack the middle of the field.  If Celtic persist with this strategy they’ll need to tighten up in the middle.

There is an interesting subplot to this weekend’s games.  Earlier this month there was a daunting 12 points between Celtic and Rangers.  A win for Celtic tomorrow would see that gap shrink to 4 points, with Rangers playing their game in hand away to Kilmarnock at lunchtime on Sunday.  As well as playing for three points tomorrow, Celtic have the opportunity to put pressure on Rangers.