CELTIC defensive rock Cameron Carter-Vickers insists he relishes the challenges as the fixtures come thick and fast.
This month has already seen the champions involved in four Premiership games with another to face against Dundee at Dens Park tomorrow night.
The Hoops will then kick-start the defence of their Scottish Cup against Kilmarnock at Parkhead on Saturday evening
Then there are two Champions League qualifiers against Switzerland’s Young Boys under the lights in the east end of Glasgow and Aston Villa in the Midlands with another encounter against tomorrow’s opponents at Parkhead sandwiched in between.
AIR WE GO…Cameron Carter-Vickers takes off as he congratulates Premier Sports League Cup heroes Daizen Maeda and Kasper Schmeichel with Adam Idah about to join.
Fresh from the 4-1 win over Ross County in Dingwall at the weekend, Carter-Vickers and his team-mates are good to go again on Tayside and the USA international central defender said: “Every away game, especially at this time of the year, is always a challenge.
“So, again, we know we are going to have to be professional in our performance and perform at a high level to get the three points.
“The squad are in a good place, putting in good performances and, for us, it’s about continuing that as well as we can and maintaining our levels in each and every game.
“To be fair, I think we’ve got the squad to deal with the challenges. We’ve got a lot of good players, some who are playing and some who aren’t, but everyone’s ready to step in when they need to and bring the team energy when needed.”
Reflecting on the icy conditions in the frozen north on Saturday, Carter-Vickers, speaking to Celtic TV, continued: “As a group, I feel we enjoy these matches.
“The pitch wasn’t great and obviously it was freezing up there, but we saw it as an opportunity for us to show how good we are and show we can do it no matter the conditions.
THOU SHALT NOT PASS…a determined Cameron Carter-Vickers and Alistair Johnston combine to thwart a Ross County raid during Celtic’s 4-1 win in Dingwall at the weekend.
“For me personally, I grew up in England and played in the Championship where there’s no winter break, so it’s not too uncommon.
“It’s difficult, it’s definitely demanding physically and mentally, but I kind of enjoy the games coming thick and fast, and you get into a rhythm of just playing every game.”
The former Spurs centre-back, who has recovered from the toe injury that created problems earlier in the season, added: “I think right now we are performing at a really good level.
“It’s just about maintaining that level and trying to improve and get better, but also just knowing that we’ve got to be consistent in our work, day in and day out, and that will show in the games.”
The Hoops will power into an 18-point advantage in their bid for a fourth successive title if they overcome the Dens Parkers tomorrow night.