Celtic's Title Charge Under O'Neill: Durán and Nygren's Impact

Celtic’s ruthless edge under Martin O’Neill shows no sign of softening, and two of his forwards are setting the tempo for another relentless title charge.

Camilo Durán has exploded into life in Glasgow. Six goals in seven appearances in all competitions, three of them in his last two Scottish Premiership outings. He is scoring at a rate of a goal every 97 minutes in a Celtic shirt, a return that would make even some of the club’s modern greats raise an eyebrow.

Alongside him, Benjamin Nygren is quietly stitching together a season that already looks pivotal. Five goal involvements in Celtic’s first four league games – three goals, two assists – underline how quickly he has become central to O’Neill’s attacking plan. He has either scored or assisted against 10 of the 11 Premiership sides he has faced. The only club to keep him off the scoresheet? St. Mirren, in three attempts.

That particular detail suddenly matters, because St. Mirren are the ones trying to halt Celtic’s charge.

O’Neill’s perfect record and a familiar victim

History offers St. Mirren little comfort. Under Martin O’Neill, Celtic have faced them seven times in all competitions. Seven wins, an aggregate score of 16-2. It has been ruthless, bordering on routine.

Only three managers in Celtic’s history boast a more extensive perfect record against a single opponent: Jock Stein’s 11 wins from 11 against Raith Rovers, Brendan Rodgers’ nine from nine versus Hamilton Academical, and Ange Postecoglou’s eight straight victories over Ross County. O’Neill’s name now sits in that company, and St. Mirren are the side carrying the scars.

The broader league picture is just as unforgiving. Celtic have strung together 11 straight league victories, sweeping aside all four opponents so far this season. Since the start of last season, they have won 23 of 27 Premiership matches under O’Neill, drawing two and losing only two. That works out at 2.63 points per game – title-winning form in any era, in any league.

St. Mirren’s quiet surge

Yet this isn’t the same St. Mirren side that folded so easily in the past.

They arrive on the back of four wins in their last six league matches, drawing the other two. That run already eclipses their previous 20 league games, a stretch in which they managed only three victories, alongside four draws and 13 defeats. The shift is stark. Confidence has replaced caution, and points are starting to follow.

The table adds another layer of intrigue. When the side starting the day second has hosted the league leaders in the Scottish Premiership, the underdog has started to bite back. The team in second has won three of the last five such fixtures, drawing one and losing just once. That recent trend is stronger than the nine equivalent meetings before it, which produced only two wins for the side in second, three draws and four defeats.

So the numbers whisper a warning: top spot is not always safe when it walks into the home of the nearest challenger.

Celtic, with Durán and Nygren in full flow and O’Neill’s record towering over this fixture, look ominous. St. Mirren, revitalised and chasing a statement result, see an opening that rarely comes.

Something has to give.