Celtic

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Adam Idah is relishing the chance to return to Cork this summer to play against the club he has supported from childhood.

Celtic will head to Ireland in the summer to face Idah's boyhood favourites Cork City in a friendly.

"I haven't played in Cork since I was 15 and didn't think I'd ever come back and play here," the striker said.

"So to come back in the summer is going to be brilliant.

"It will be amazing. There's obviously a massive Celtic fan base in Cork so it'll be like a home game.

"It'll be really cool to have the Cork fans and the Celtic fans. It'll be a bit of a strange one because I think everyone will be supporting both sides. But it'll be a fantastic day.

"I still support Cork City, they were obviously my team growing up, so it's exciting."

Before then, Celtic have domestic business to attend to with a Scottish Cup quarter-final against Hibs on the horizon.

And Idah has fond memories of the competition after he scored the winning goal in last season's final against Rangers.

"There's no doubt that Hibs are a fantastic team," Idah added.

"They've won so many games now and they're a really good side. The game now coming up will be an exciting one and we are ready for it.

"I'm really looking forward to it. How it ended last season was probably one of the best moments I've had in my career. It's an exciting one for me."

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

Celtic, eventually, came out on top in Saturday's seven-goal thriller against St Mirren to roar 16 points clear at the summit of the Scottish Premiership.

Brendan Rodgers' squad showed their class and I have three of his stars in my team of the week.

It was a supreme display from Celtic midfielder Reo Hatate. He showed his class and provided a simply stunning assist for Yang Hyun-Jun's opener.

Speaking of Yang, the super sub makes my team too. Talk about impact. Two goals and an assist off the bench for Yang Hyun-Jun, has him in my team.

Daizen Maeda has to be player of the season. There was yet another goal for the outstanding Japan international who continually delivers the goods for his side, wherever he is deployed.

Kyogo Furuhashi, who left Celtic for Rennes in January, says he felt "depressed and frustrated" after being snubbed by Japan while playing for the Scottish champions. (Lemino Football via The National)

Read the rest of Monday's gossip.

Sportscene pundits Cammy Bell and Michael Stewart laud Daizen Maeda after another scoring performance for Celtic.

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Watch all the highlights from Celtic's 5-2 win at St Mirren in the Scottish Premiership.

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We asked for your views on Celtic's 5-2 win against St Mirren.

Here's what some of you said:

Patrick: Relentless. St Mirren put in a real challenge and maybe deserved more but Celtic managed to find a win once again, and in the end it was a comfortable scoreline. Great to see Yang Hyun-jun grab a couple of goals, still need a bit more from Adam Idah, we know the talent is there but the consistency isn't.

Craig: The squad depth and quality proving to be the reason we're strolling the league. The small bit of business in the January window with Kyogo Furuhashi being sold is almost forgotten with Daizen Maeda on fire and Jota settled right back in. Brendan Rodgers proving why he's such a good coach.

David: St Mirren will feel hard done by with the result. They were terrific, played their hearts out and deserved better than the scoreline. They gave Celtic a go, but Celtic just got better as the game went on. The class of the Celtic squad is just so good. They deserved their five.

Paul: Another invaluable three points secured towards winning the league for a fourth consecutive season. Although St Mirren made it tough for Celtic, missing several opportunities to add to their tally, ultimately Celtic's strength in depth was the overriding difference in the end, and the increasingly improving Yang was worthy of the man of the match award.

Christopher: Celtic haven't been at their best the last two games, yet have still found a way to score 10 goals. This team lost its best striker in January and look like a better team for it? Incredible!

Hugh: It was a hard fought victory and tough on St Mirren as we were far from being at our best. The second-half substitutions made the difference but we never really got out of the starting blocks. We have certainly taken a step forward this season but at the same time too many of our opponents have regressed and this is hindering our progression.

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• Nicolas Kühn has assisted seven goals in the Premiership this season (one in this game), no player has more.

• Daizen Maeda has scored in his last three games in the Premiership (four goals in total).

• Yang Hyun-Jun has contributed to goals in his last three games in the Premiership (three goals, two assists).

• Daizen Maeda has contributed to goals in his last three games in the Premiership (four goals, 0 assists).

• Celtic have scored in 27 of their 29 games, more often than any other team in the Premiership this season.

• Celtic have scored in each of their last 10 games in the Premiership, scoring 35 goals in that run.

• St. Mirren have scored in their last three games in the Premiership, their longest run of games with a goal in the competition since a run of four games from 14 December 2024 to 29 December 2024.

• St. Mirren have scored in each of their last three games in the Premiership, scoring five goals in that run.

Celtic are now just three wins away from retaining the Scottish Premiership crown after seeing off St Mirren in a seven-goal classic in Paisley to extend their lead at the top of the table to 16 points.

If Brendan Rodgers' side win their next two league games against second-top Rangers and Heart of Midlothian, they will travel to Perth in the first week of April knowing a win over St Johnstone will wrap up a fourth consecutive title.

They were made to work extremely hard for their victory by a St Mirren side that refused to lie down and twice came back to equalise before a fine late double from from Yang Hyun-jun either side of an excellent goal from Daizen Maeda.

Japan forward Maeda now has 13 goals from his last dozen games, while South Korean winger Yang - whose fine assist set him up - looks a much-improved player, and his two-goal cameo may make it hard for his manager to leave him out of the starting XI.

Celtic fans, did you make the trip to Paisley or were you following the action from home? Either way we want your views on the game. Have your say., external

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Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers: "I think it's one of my favourite results of the season coming to St Mirren who have had some really good performances against other teams.

"It's a brilliant three points for us. I think our attacking paly was really strong. We were so good on a difficult surface, the players were technically very strong.

"We need to get the freshness back in our defending We have got a week before the cup game now which gives us a chance to recover that and get the freshness back.

"Yang's [Hyun-jun] girlfriend is here at the moment so he's in a great feeling. I said to her interpreter to try and make sure she stays. He's a young player, he's growing and developing which is why it's about more than just performances and results, it's about the development of young players.

"We have a big cup game next week but what we can do now is reset and build into that cup game. we've put so much work into the season, so much consistency and mentality. We have a lot of work to do but we're in a really good place.

"Callum [McGregor] had felt his calf. He should be fine but we don't want to take any risks with him.

"Auston [Trusty] got a bang in the head and had to get five stitches. He should recover but Liam Scales came in and did really well."

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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This was yet another good day at the office for the runaway league leaders, who nearly always find a way to get the job done.

In this case, with some style, as they just got better the longer the match went on.

It is not that often captain Callum McGregor will be taken off. Not a problem for his manager when Brendan Rodgers can replace him with the energy and skill of McCowan.

Jota and Yang Hyun-jun also added significant quality when they came on and made things even more difficult for a tiring St Mirren side who had put so much into the first hour of the match.

Jeffrey Schlupp will be delighted to have scored his first Celtic goal, while Arne Engels' impressive debut season in Scotland has now yielded 10 goals.

The champions-elect now have a full week to prepare for the visit of Hibernian in the Scottish Cup before welcoming Barry Ferguson's Rangers to Celtic Park on 16 March.

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A huge impact off the bench for the Celtic winger - two goals and an assist off the bench.

Fulham and Ipswich Town will step up the chase for Alistair Johnston this summer after the Premier League clubs expressed an interest in the 26-year-old Celtic right-back in the January transfer window. (The Athletic), external

Norwich City are bracing themselves for Borja Sainz offers in the summer transfer window amid Celtic interest in the 24-year-old winger. (Football Insider), external

Read the rest of Saturday's Scottish gossip.

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Ryan Alebiosu and Jonah Ayunga (ankle) are doubts for St Mirren after coming off against Hearts in midweek.

Alex Iacovitti is back in training but the game comes too soon while Conor McMenamin (calf) and Evan Mooney (ankle) remain out.

Greg Taylor returns for Celtic, who remain without James Forrest (foot) and Paulo Bernardo (ankle).

Jack Herrall
BBC Sport Scotland

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Manager Brendan Rodgers says Celtic are always searching for fine margins and weren't fully content with their performance despite trouncing Aberdeen 5-1 in midweek.

"We've tried to set a standard of performance and I think the scoreline was fantastic," Rodgers said.

"When you come off against one of your big rivals up here and you can win 5-1 and still be not overly pleased with elements of the performance, then it shows you the standard that we demand.

"That's a good thing because you can always improve, even in a 5-1 win."

Celtic face St Mirren on Saturday before a run of home fixtures against Hibernian, Rangers and Hearts that could see them edge closer to a domestic treble.

Rodgers added: "The whole point was to get to this point of the season in the best place we possibly could.

"Now we arrive into a part of the season where we want to finish really strong."

Looking ahead to the test they'll be posed by St Mirren, Rodgers praised "outstanding coach and manager" Stephen Robinson.

"His teams are very clear in how they play, they understand their roles, they make it really difficult for you," he said.

"But I felt the game earlier on in the season, we managed that aspect of it really well. You just have to do all the dirty bits of the game really well, all the stuff that doesn't get a lot of attention."

Jack Herrall
BBC Sport Scotland

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Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has been speaking to the media before his side's match with St Mirren on Saturday evening.

Here are the key points from his press conference:

• He welcomes the return of away allocations to Old Firm derbies, saying it is "great for the game, great for the spectacle of the game, and obviously ultimately for the supporters".

• Rodgers is keen to see the away supports return to previous levels, far above this new 4% figure, saying: "Hopefully it can get somewhere near to where it was before because that always creates an amazing atmosphere."

• He adds that the issue around away fans "wasn't a Celtic thing" and it "was out of our control at the beginning of it all".

• Rodgers expects to face a "coordinated" St Mirren but takes confidence from Celtic's win in Paisley earlier in the season where they did "all the dirty bits of the game really well".

• Celtic are now at the part of the season where they want to "finish really strong", with Rodgers' side holding a commanding 13-point lead in the Premiership and still competing for a domestic treble.

• Rodgers says the club "haven't heard anything" on the VAR calls from Celtic's defeat by Hibs after Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin had complained about the technology in midweek.

• On Jude Bonnar's debut in the win over Aberdeen, Rodgers says "it's a nice reward" for the 19-year-old and he is "working very, very hard, which I notice".

• On Jeffrey Schlupp, who is on loan until the end of the season, Rodgers says he will speak to the left-back about his contract situation "towards the latter part of the season," and notes he has "settled into the group really well".

• The standards demanded of the players are evident, he says, given that "you can win 5-1 [against Aberdeen] and still be not overly pleased with elements of the performance".

• St Mirren have lost their past seven meetings with Celtic in all competitions, last losing eight in a row against the Parkhead club in December 2012.

• Celtic have only lost one of their last 20 away games at St Mirren across all competitions (W16 D3), going down 2-0 in September 2022 under Ange Postecoglou.

• St Mirren are winless in their past four home league games (D1 L3), last going longer without victory in December 2021 under Jim Goodwin (6).

• After winning 10 successive away league games from April to December 2024, Celtic have since won just two of their past six on the road (D2 L2), losing 2-1 at Hibernian in their most recent away outing.

• Celtic's Daizen Maeda has been directly involved in more goals in the Scottish Premiership this season (18 – 11 goals, 7 assists) than any other player. The Japan international has 13 goal involvements (9 goals, 4 assists) in his last 10 league appearances – as many as his previous 41 beforehand.

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Hibernian have secured an allocation of "up to 7,000 tickets" for their Scottish Cup quarter-final visit to Celtic.

The Easter Road side sold an initial batch of 2,667 for the 9 March tie within five days.

On requesting a bigger share of the match gate during "long discussions", Hibs say they were referred to the Scottish FA handbook, which states "the away club shall be responsible for payment to the home club for all tickets delivered."

A statement confirming the large increase acknowledges the "financial risk" involved and "understanding the demand from our supporters".

Hibs go on to say a general sale will go ahead on a date that is "dependant on when we receive the tickets from Celtic".