Do Celtic Really Need to Win All of Their Remaining Games to Lift the Title?

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The Celtic Star

·1 de abril de 2026

Do Celtic Really Need to Win All of Their Remaining Games to Lift the Title?

It’s not a great time to be a Celtic fan. Unless you enjoy watching games with three layers of protection: behind the sofa, through your fingers, preferably in a box of some kind..

When the Scottish Premiership started back in August, there was plenty of optimism about Celtic winning a 14th Scottish Premiership title in 15 seasons.. According to most bookmakers, Celtic had good odds of winning their first few games, and perhaps even remaining as title front-runners leading into the tail-end of the tournament. That after all is what usually happens in Scottish football where Celtic have become the 21s century power-house.

But now here we are with seven games to go, and Martin O’Neill’s side has slipped five points adrift of leaders Heart of Midlothian, having recently suffered an eighth league defeat away to Dundee United just before the international break.

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But is it really all doom and gloom for the men in those famous green and, white hoops and have those odds on being title contenders really slipped into nothingness?

Do Celtic Need To Win All Their Remaining Games?

Let’s look at this practically: Celtic don’t need to win all their remaining matches to lift the trophy. At least, not from a mathematical point of view (more on that later).

Will Ferry of Dundee United scores his team’s first goal during the Scottish Premiership match between Dundee United and Celtic at Tannadice Park on March 22, 2026. (Photo by Zak Mauger/Getty Images)

What they need to do, practically, is win at least five or six games – and there will need to be some upsets for the top teams along the way.

What Happens If They Don’t Win Every Game?

We said that they don’t need to win all their remaining games from a mathematical point of view, but let’s now look at this from a psychological point of view.

Emmanuel Agyei of Dundee United scores his team’s second goal during the Scottish Premiership match between Dundee United and Celtic at Tannadice Park on March 22, 2026. (Photo by Zak Mauger/Getty Images)

Realistically, if Celtic are going to lift the trophy, they need to go on a run. That is to say, they need to find the inner belief to build momentum and live up to their potential, and the only way they will do that is by winning consistently.

Michael Nicholson and Chris McKay at TannadiceDundee Utd v Celtic. Sunday 22 March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

Let’s say for instance, they lose their next match against Dundee. Do we really see them going on to win six in a row? It’s unlikely because suddenly the roadmap changes and the pressure triples. If they’re going to have any chance of winning the league, they need to start competing now – and, if they do compete now, it’s more than likely that they’ll keep on going until the tournament culminates in May.

Will It Really Happen?

That’s the dream for Celtic supporters, anyway. If it’s really going to happen, we’re going to need to see drastic change on the field. The biggest problem for Celtic right now isn’t the results, of course, it’s consistency and control of games with a real problem in the lack of goalscoring centre-forwards, something Celtic is traditionally famous for.

Chris McKay and Michael Nicholson arrive at Ibrox.theRangers 2 Celtic 2. Sunday 1st March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

In many ways, we can put this down to the Celtic board failing to manage the club effectively, but in several matches this season, Celtic have dominated possession but failed to control games when it mattered. They’ve conceded goals at bad times, dropped points from winning positions, and struggled away from home. If they’re going to turn things around, then, they need to tighten defensively and stop conceding first.

They’ll also need midfielders to better control tempo instead of rushing forward – something that has been a problem since emotions seem to constantly get the better of them.

Most of all, they’ll need their top players to step up, and that starts with captain Callum McGregor. Make no mistake, McGregor is a great player, but recently, it seems like the responsibility of carrying the team has been weighing heavily on his shoulders.

He needs to shrug off some of that weight and lead by example, demanding more from the players around him simply by being the best midfielder he can be.

There is still hope, but there’s no doubt that the next few weeks aren’t going to be an easy ride – for players and supporters alike.