Scott Sinclair came off the treatment table on Saturday afternoon – and Leigh Griffiths believes the 27-year-old winger can be pivotal to Celtic heading into the New Year unbeaten.

The Englishman’s pace and directness has transformed the Parkhead side this term and Griffiths believes that he would benefit from the runs of Sinclair in the coming weeks – assuming he remains in the starting line-up.

On the opening day of the season at Tynecastle, it was the run of Griffiths who set up Sinclair for his opening goal on the weekend he had signed for the club but the striker anticipates that it could be the opposite way around if the two are playing together.

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“Scotty has been brilliant for us since he first arrived here,” said Griffiths. “He just brings so much. He can score, he can set goals up, he works so hard on that flank and he can see an opening for a pass as well.

“I know for a fact that he is chomping at the bit to get back into the starting XI and pick up where he left off. He was unlucky with the injury – I know a wee bit about that myself! – and he was gutted when he was out.

“He got a good half hour against Dundee and I don’t think he the type of guy who needs much game time to get back to his optimum level so that is good news for us.

“He can take defenders on and I do think that we can compliment one another because one of the strengths of my game is in getting in behind defences and he is definitely the type of player that can see that.

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“I can make space for him or myself but for me he would be one of the guys right up there this season as a player of the season for us, although it says so much about the team that there are a number of players who fall into that category.”

Griffiths, has insisted that Moussa Dembele, named the French Under-21 Player of the Year this week, needs to usurp him from the starting line-up now after three goals in as many games, however the striker believes that his goal stats will only count for so much.

“My performances need to improve a wee bit. It is not just about scoring goals, there are other things that the manager is looking for too and I want to try and bring them into my game as well,” said Griffiths.

“That can be difficult sometimes when you are playing against teams with a lot of men behind the ball but so long as I am scoring goals and working hard I think that I have a good chance of keeping my place in the team.

“But, like I say, there are other things that I think I can work on and improve and I am determined to do that. No-one wants to be on the bench and having got back in, I want to stay in.

“That depends on the manager, who has been brilliant with me from day one. I just want to keep my head down and keep trying to do a big job for this team.”

Celtic host Partick Thistle this evening, the second time the teams have met in 11 days.

Griffiths started the game at Firhill and had a productive evening as he came in with a couple of assists as well as a goal but he anticipates something of a stodgy night against Alan Archibald’s side.

“We’ll know what kind of game we are in for tonight,” he said. “Thistle will play against us the way that Hamilton did and they will come here to try to frustrate us. It can be more open for us when we are away from home because teams come out and attack us a bit more.

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“Teams comes here and try to frustrate us which is fine but it is up to us to play a certain way that break them down.”

Celtic have dropped just two points so far in this league campaign, with Brendan Rodgers’ side on a 20-game unbeaten run.

Griffiths, though, is wary of reading too much into that.

“It gets to the point where people are talking about it all the time and I think you just have to concentrate on the next game,” he said. “We have seen it down through the years that teams come unstuck when you least expect it.

“So we just want to keep our concentration and keep winning. It sounds boring but it is always all about the next game. The manager has drummed it into us that it is about focus, about constantly looking for improvement and working on all the small details.

“As a team I think we’re pleased with the way we’re going. The challenge is to maintain that, starting with tonight.”