CUP semi-finals are always tense, nervy affairs.

But when there is a Treble on the line, that is magnified many times over.

Make no mistake, tomorrow's tie against Inverness Caley can be the 'final' major hurdle for Celtic to overcome in their marathon pursuit of a clean sweep this season.

They already have the League Cup, and have enough of an advantage in the league - it's a forlorn hope Aberdeen can catch them now - to be able to afford a slip up. But they can't have an off day tomorrow - or the dream will be over.

No disrespect to whoever wins today's other semi-final between Hibs and Falkirk, which will de decided by which Easter Road team turns up on the day.

But if Celtic can get through to the final on May 30, with a double already under their belts, can anyone really see them letting the third part of the Treble slip from their grasp?

So tomorrow is the day they have to pull out all the stops and get the victory which will mean so much to them.

Mind you, no-one should be talking about, or even thinking about the Treble, only this game, because if they don't defeat Inverness, there will be no Treble.

They have already dealt with semi-final nerves when they defeated Rangers in the League Cup on February 1.

But while that particular fixture brought its own unique challenges, this will be a much more straightforward - but tougher - game for Ronny Deila and his players.

As soon as the first goal went in against Rangers, it was game over. It will not be the same against Inverness.

They have already won against Celtic this season, and showed again last weekend how they can frustrate and contain them.

It will be much harder to do this on the bigger pitch and better surface at Hampden.

But even in the first hour against Kilmarnock in midweek, there were signs that the creativity required to break down teams who are sitting deep and well organised wasn't at the level it should be.

That could be a concern for Ronny, and give some confidence to John Hughes, who has done a very good job in maintaining the consistency Inverness showed for so long under Terry Butcher.

They will head south believing they can add to the list of cup disappointments Celtic have suffered in recent years.

And, certainly, they have more of a goal threat than Killie carried on Wednesday night. Again, for that league match, Ronny made a number of changes to his line-up, probably with one eye on tomorrow's cup-tie.

Due to Gary Mackay-Steven and Stuart Armstrong being cup tied and Anthony Stokes suspended, there won't be too many decisions to make regarding his starting eleven.

That, in a way, can be a good thing for a manager because it means you can concentrate on who is going to play and work on getting the very best out of them.

The only question I think Ronny might be deliberating on is whether to use Kris Commons wide or put him in the centre with Stefan Johansen going outside him.

That position behind the striker has been key for Celtic this season.

And it surely has to be Leigh Griffiths who starts up front after his four-goals-in-less-than-two-games reminder of what he can do.

Ronny has been rotating the frontman, with Anthony, John Guidetti and Leigh all given their chance in recent weeks, with varying degrees of success.

I noticed Leigh claimed in these pages after he came off the bench to score a hat-trick against Killie that he believes he would have matched Adam Rooney's 26 goals this season if he had been given more games.

Well, Leigh, Ronny has only been rotating his strikers for one reason - no-one has yet convinced him they should be his No.1.

John looked the part earlier on in the season, but has faded since then. Anthony is considered more effective playing wide left.

And clearly Leigh has not

always delivered the consistency the manager demands, or else he would have been a first pick every week.

It is a poor reflection on the club that they don't have a striker who has already scored 20 goals this season, given the

number of games they have played, how the team is set up to attack and the opportunities they create. Down through the decades, the Celtic fans are accustomed to having great No.9s, guys they could get right behind.

They would really like to have someone like that now, and thought they had in John when he first arrived.

But their desire to find a hero will not blinker them to what they are watching, and Leigh still has a way to go before he can be considered to be up there anywhere near those who have gone before him.

Mind you, another hat-trick tomorrow would take him a huge step closer, and give him a real chance of retaining the starting spot for the rest of the season.

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Readers who submit articles must agree to our terms of use. The content is the sole responsibility of the contributor and is unmoderated. But we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention. If you wish to complain about this article, contact us here