CALLUM McGREGOR insists Celtic will not be pushing any panic buttons, despite an unprecedented start to a crucial campaign.
After hammering Hamilton Accies 5-1 on the ninth successive Flag Day in Glasgow and dropping two points in the 1-1 draw with Kilmarnock at Rugby Park, the champions were derailed through no fault of their own.
The due league games against St Mirren and Aberdeen were forced to be cancelled after the reckless and selfish actions of Boli Bolingoli following a secret trip to high-risk Spain and the subsequent breach of government guidelines when the left-back ignored the 14-day quarantine period upon his return.
McGregor, though, is not overly concerned as he gears up for Tuesday’s Champions League first qualifying round one-off showdown against Iceland’s KR Reykjavik at Parkhead.
The Scotland international anchorman, speaking to the Sunday Mail, said: “I don’t think there’s any need to panic at all.
“The matches we missed will be played. It’s not a case of playing catch-up in terms of points.
“Once we get to the games, we will be focused on one at a time as we catch up on fixtures further down the line. We are only really focused on ourselves.
“We have come through this week and now we have a positive game to look forward to on Tuesday.
“Of course, it would have been nice to get back to playing quickly to make up for the disappointment of the Kilmarnock game.
“That would have been ideal, but we are now looking ahead to the qualifier. It’s a nice game to have and we have to get it right on the night.
“There is big pressure on the boys to get the win and make sure we go through.
“But we look at that as a positive. We have trained well and are confident about getting the result if we do the right things.”
If the Hoops overcome the challenge of the Icelandic champions, they will face either Ferencvaros, of Hungary, or Sweden’s Djusgarden in the second round with the tie again due in Glasgow the following week.
