JOHANSEN SHAPES UP FOR HIS BIGGEST MONTH

CELTIC midfielder Stefan Johansen says the next month is shaping up to be biggest of his career. The Parkhead side will face three league games in seven days against Hamilton, Motherwell and Ross County when they return from a week-long break in Gran Canaria. Then comes a League Cup semi-final clash with Rangers, a Scottish Cup tie against Dundee and the Europa League last-16 double-header with Inter Milan. Approaching his first anniversary in Glasgow, Norwegian Johansen is excited by the challenge of a domestic treble. He admitted: ‘It is a very big period for me. Maybe the biggest time for me in my career. ‘It will be fun to have so many important games in a short period of time. This is what we want. ‘We are involved in four competitions and that is fantastic. ‘I came to Celtic to win trophies and my desire is as strong as ever. I arrived halfway through last season and we won the league. That was brilliant. ‘I would like to have won more. ‘We have a great chance to achieve so much this season. ‘We know the games ahead will be very tough. ‘But we believe in ourselves to do well.’ Celtic left for Spain a point behind Aberdeen but the gap could widen to four once more if the Pittodrie side beat St Mirren in Paisley on Saturday. Ronny Deila will field a young team against PSV Eindhoven tomorrow, with senior players offered the chance to rest in temperatures of around 22 degrees yesterday before trying for a domestic clean sweep on their return. ‘That is what we are trying to do — to stay at a level,’ added Johansen. ‘We just want to go out and win every game and do it by performing to a high standard. ‘If we do that, we are going to be champions. That is the biggest aim for us — and we can do it again.’ Before flying to Las Palmas, Deila’s team produced a convincing display in Kilmarnock, winning 2-0. The performance served as a reminder of what they can produce after poor results against Dundee United at Tannadice and Ross County at home. ‘I think it was a good message from us. It was one of our best performances this season,’ Johansen said. ‘We passed the ball well, created chances, scored two goals, kept a clean sheet. ‘The three points were the most important thing, but we were able to win by showing our quality and what we are capable of.’ Aberdeen and Dundee United can strike back this weekend, but Johansen says Celtic are focusing less on what their rivals do and more on what they can do to achieve consistency. ‘Aberdeen have won so many games and have done well,’ the 23-year-old added. ‘They deserve credit for that. ‘But we can’t be thinking about them when we play our games. And we won’t. ‘All we’re thinking about is how we are going to win this title.’