“Do I have the belief in the team? Absolutely,” Martin O’Neill

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The Celtic Star

·3 de abril de 2026

“Do I have the belief in the team? Absolutely,” Martin O’Neill

Martin O’Neill spoke to the mainstream media today ahead of Sunday’s must win match against Dundee at Dens Park…

Iain Jamieson, Celtic’s Head of PR who banned the Celtic fan media and Martin O’Neill at Tannadice. Dundee Utd v Celtic. Sunday 22 March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

Celtic has already lost three times in the City of Discovery this season under three different managers and anything other than a victory is likely to spell curtains for Celtic title aspirations. Here’s everything that the Celtic manager had to say this afternoon…

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Q: Well, Martin, it’s been fairly hectic since you came back to Celtic. Did you manage to get any time to yourself during the international break?

Martin O’Neill: “Yeah, I got a couple of days away and that was nice. I didn’t realise that I was staying so close to Callum McGregor until we got back. We were only about four or five hundred yards apart. I do believe that he saw me on the promenade and quickly walked away. So, he’s claiming not, but I think he did! But for the international players, they’re back at this minute and that’s good. So, it’s nice to see them back.”

Auston Trusty of United States reacts during the international friendly match between United States and Portugal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on March 31, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Q: Has everyone come back fully fit? Any fresh injury concerns?

Martin O’Neill: “No, I think there was talk about Auston Trusty, but I think he’s going to be okay. The problems that had been before the break are probably still there. Julian Araujo is still recuperating down at Bournemouth and Arne Engels has come back now. We’ll see, each day, it’s a good day for him. He’s trained most of the week, but we’ll just keep an eye on things at this minute. I couldn’t rule him out or in for Sunday.”

Q: Do you know the extent of Julian Araujo’s injury? Would we expect to see him back at Celtic before the end of the season?

Martin O’Neill: “It’s a thigh injury. Oh, of course. Yeah, I do. I think he’s doing fine in recovery now. So, the physios are obviously keeping in touch with the Bournemouth physios. We expect to see him back, hopefully, in the not-too-distant future.

Q: How much are you looking forward to getting back into the action this weekend against Dundee?

Martin O’Neill: “For us? I’ve just been reminded there that all three managers of Celtic this season have lost in Dundee, either Dundee United or Dundee. So, we’ll try and rectify that. We didn’t play well in the game a fortnight ago. I think we’re looking forward to it. We know how difficult it’s going to be. We’ve got to be ready for it.”

Martin O’Neill at Tannadice. Dundee Utd v Celtic. Sunday 22 March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

Q: Of course, you’re playing after both of your title rivals, (the) Rangers and Hearts, have a chance to put a bit more extra pressure on you. You’ve been on both sides of that. Is it harder playing last?

Martin O’Neill: “I think if you’re to give a real honest answer about it, I think it depends on the results that have taken place. That said, I think psychologically there’s an advantage to playing early if you go and get your results. If you don’t, of course, it opens the way for you. I’m hoping that between now and the end of the season it might work in reverse. That said, I think you just have to try and take care of your own game. The thing that you are supposedly in control of.”

Viljami Sinisalo at Tannadice. Dundee Utd v Celtic. Sunday 22 March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

Q: You’ve had a couple of weeks to stew over that result and the performance at Tannadice. Is that a case of now just parking that and putting it in the past? Or is it about learning the mistakes from it?

Martin O’Neill: “It’s a bit of both. Obviously, we made a lot of mistakes in the game. Of course, you learn. I think, again, sometimes when you win football matches, you tend to think, we’ll do better the next time as long as you’ve won. That probably would have been the case with Dundee United as well, if we’d been able to get them front. We had a couple of chances before they scored in the first half. Kieran Tierney, maybe if he scores, it might be a different ball game. I think what I said, looking back at the game, it’s still the same. I don’t think that we adjusted well enough to the conditions. That’s down to us, really. That said, I think the other part of it is you have to put it to the side now. Keep getting on with the things and get back to what has made us still in contention.”

Q: Do you think you have to win on Sunday to keep your title hopes alive?

Martin O’Neill: “Again, I would imagine, really, you’re probably right. I think we started to drop a lot of points there. Either two in a draw or a defeat. I think with the games running out, that would be a difficult comeback from there. Not impossible, but I think, yeah.”

Junior Adamu at Tannadice – Dundee Utd v Celtic. Sunday 22 March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

Q: Do you have the belief that this squad is capable of going on a flawless or a near-flawless run between now and the end of the season?

Martin O’Neill: “I think that we have the belief, yes. Do I have the belief in the team? Absolutely. Do the team have belief in themselves? I think as well. We had a setback. The teams in and around us have had setbacks in recent times, I must admit. So we’ve just got to put it to the side. Get ourselves really geared up for the game and be ready for a very, very strong match.”

Q: You said the team maybe didn’t stand up to the conditions as well as they could have at Tannadice. I think the weather’s meant to take a bit of a battering on Sunday. Is that going to be another real test for the players to stand up to those types of conditions?

Martin O’Neill: “Well, certainly the things that can happen in Dundee. But, yeah, of course. That’s whatever conditions they are. I think that we’ll just have to be ready for that there, as I’m sure Dundee will be.”

Q: What do you look for in your players after you’ve had a setback like that in terms of the response to get back on track? What have you seen from them?

Martin O’Neill: “The non-international players, or the players who didn’t travel away, got themselves a few days off. So we’ve been training all week. I think it’s the training, the manner in which they’ve trained. I think that gives you good confidence in that sense. Of course, I’ve seen teams who’ve trained brilliantly through the week and then things didn’t materialise at the weekend. But overall, yeah, I’ve been really happy with the training. In fairness, I think that the players themselves, we’ve all had a look at it. I’m sure that the players have thought about their own individual performances and just want to try and put it right if they can.”

Dundee Head Coach Steven Pressley talks to Ethan Hamilton of Dundee after Hamilton scored to give Dundee a 0-1 lead. Celtic v Dundee, Scottish Cup, Fifth Round, Celtic Park, 07 February 2026. Photo Stuart Wallace IMAGO/ Shutterstock

Q: What have you made of Dundee, and the job Steven Pressley’s done, they seem to be very competitive?

Martin O’Neill: “Yeah, very competitive. And they played very well against us at our place in the cup as well too. Yeah, I just expect a really difficult game. And that will be the case, particularly since he’s in charge. Yeah, it will be hard for us.”

Watch Martin O’Neill’s media conference ahead of Easter Sunday’s visit to Dens Park in the Scottish Premiership below…

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