GORDON CONFIDENT IN STRAIN GAME

CRAIG GORDON is confident seven-in-a-row title kings Celtic can handle the pressure as they zero in on another Premiership crown.

Brendan Rodgers’ men are level on 42 points with Steven Gerrard’s side, but have a superior goal difference and a game in hand as they prepare to go into the next stage of the campaign.

Gordon accepts the champions face a sterner test this time around, but believes he and his team-mates will rise to the challenge – and overcome it.

The Scotland international keeper said: “It is very condensed and, for everybody else that is quite exciting.

“I think it brings the pressure to everybody. There is a lot to play for a number of teams, all the clubs will be under pressure.

“Being at Celtic, we are used to that having being up there for a considerable period of time.

“I can only see that benefiting us, to go into the second half of the season with the knowledge we can compete and get the job done.”

Gordon, 36, added: “To get to this point top of the league, still in Europe and having won the League Cup, on paper we couldn’t have done any more than that, really.

“We are happy with that, but want to continue to improve and put in a good showing during the second half of the season.”

If Celtic are to emulate last season’s record of only four defeats in the Premiership, they will have to go through the rest of the term unbeaten.

The Hoops have already lost four in the first half of an intriguing campaign and Gordon has played in them all – Hearts (1-0), Kilmarnock (2-1), Hibs (2-0) and Rangers (1-0).

So, the message is clear in the forthcoming months and the tests will be there to be met.

The strain is on, but that’s just the way Gordon and Co like it.