Did Bitton’s red card actually help last time?
Nir Bitton will go into tomorrow night’s Cup quarter-final against Dundee United believing his sending-off when the teams met last may have actually helped Celtic to victory.
The sides were locked together at 0-0 at Celtic Park at the end of January when the Israeli international saw red.
He had taken down Declan Glass from behind and referee Euan Anderson, who had earlier booked him, viewed it another caution-worthy offence.
However, while the dismissal left United a short price to pick up their second draw of the season at the ground, Celtic dug deep to win it in injury time with a goal from Bitton’s countryman Liel Abada.
“Maybe my red card was better for the team,” the midfielder mused of an incident that left him pleading with the official in vain.
“I say that because if I had stayed on the pitch I don’t know if we would have won the game.
“This is football and we have seen a lot of times when teams have won games with 10 players, even nine players.
“First of all, though, I don’t think it was a red card. You know, we have seen some crazy decisions in this league.”
The extra two points helped Celtic stay on target to win the title and with the Premier Sports Cup already secured, a win tomorrow would see them take a large step towards capturing the Treble.
Part of the side which captured the Quadruple Treble under Brendan Rodgers’ and Neil Lennon’s charge, the 30-year-old has seen it all before and is not about to get distracted.
“You don’t really think about winning the Treble on a daily basis,” he said.
“When you play for Celtic you want to win every trophy possible and we just take it step by step.
“We will train hard every single day, do the best we can in every match and then at the end of the season we will see where we are.”
With 34 appearances so far already this season, Bitton’s worth to the group is clear.
“Niro has been very good for us. He is a key contributor,” said Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou.
“He is one of the few experienced ones we had left and I think the way we play suits him being in midfield for us.
“He has a physical presence but he is also a smart performer who reads the game well.”