CELTIC are set to be handed a third Premiership away game of the season to Inverness, St Johnstone or Dundee when the post-split fixtures are announced.

 

The matches are being finalised, in co-operation with the TV broadcasters and police, after the weekend results confirmed the composition of the top six.

The defending champions will play their 17th home game against Kilmarnock tomorrow night.

And, a week later, Celtic will play Dundee at Dens Park in their final game before the split.

That will be their 16th away game, which means they should have two home games and three away to complete the 38-match season.

However, due to the fact Dundee have pipped Hamilton to sixth place, the balance of 19 home and away games can't be met without the Hoops playing one team three times away.

It has happened in previous years as the original fixture list for the first 33 games is loosely based on projected top-six placings using the previous season's finishing positions.

But it is far from an exact science, and situations like this are the only solution to try and ensure no team gets an unfair advantage.

Celtic's only real challenger for the title, Aberdeen, have the same imbalance, and will also have to play one club away for a third time to end the season with the same number of away fixtures as home games.

The three teams the Dons will have hosted only once by the time of the split are Celtic, St Johnstone and Dundee.

They will not be forced to play at Celtic Park again, so it will be Dens Park or McDiarmid Park they visit for a third time.

For now, Ronny Deila is more concerned about getting back on to the winning track tomorrow night when Killie come to Parkhead, then when his side meet Inverness in Sunday's William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden.

He is demanding a big improvement on last weekend's stuttering performance which saw them held to a 1-1 draw by Caley Thistle.

And, though their fixture schedule is demanding, the Hoops boss is happy to have another game so quickly to get Saturday's showing out of their system.

Deila said: "We want to get back to winning right away, and will look to pick up another three points against Kilmarnock to move eight points clear of Aberdeen.

"That could have been an important point we took at Inverness. You never know. But, in terms of a performance, we wanted more."

Deila will be without the suspended Anthony Stokes and the cup-tied Gary Mackay-Steven and Stuart Armstrong for Sunday's semi-final, so all three are likely to figure tomorrow night.

Kris Commons is also expected to start after dropping to the bench at the Caledonian Stadium.

Deila explained the decision: "That was because we wanted to give Kris a rest. But you do have to match Inverness physically, also.

"They are a strong team, and you have to be ready for that."

Meanwhile, reports from Holland claim Feyenoord have now made John Guidetti - who becomes a free agent at the end of the season - a contract offer.

The Rotterdam club want to bring the Swedish striker back to where he was such a hit as a loan signing four years ago.