Celtic are riding high at the moment, thanks to their win over the Rangers at Ibrox in the Scottish Cup quarter-final. That does not change the picture in the Premiership though, where the Hoops still have a lot of work to do.

Celtic currently find themselves five points behind Hearts in the league table with nine more games to be played. Many had expected Derek McInnes' side to fade away by this point in the campaign. Credit to them, as they have managed to keep up.

So, there is little to no scope for error for Celtic if they want to win the league title race. Unfortunately, things are not getting any easier for Martin O'Neill's side.

Their next task is a match against Motherwell. Jens Berthel Askou has been tipped to be the next Celtic manager by many for how well the Steelmen have done this season. O'Neill's side will have their hands full at the weekend, even with home advantage at play.

It has been a long time since Celtic enjoyed a comfortable win against an in-form team. Do not expect that to change against Motherwell. And unfortunately, it looks like they could be without Callum McGregor this weekend.

McGregor was absent from the game against Celtic. We all know that he would have featured on the day, if there was any chance that he could have played a part.

Now, according to The Scottish Sun, there was no sign of McGregor in Hoops training ahead of the game against Motherwell.

Celtic will have to shuffle their midfield pack if McGregor is not available once again. Against the Rangers at Ibrox, they did not really control the game. But when Motherwell come visiting, that would be the expectation. The club captain would have helped in that.

One can only hope that McGregor's issue is not serious and he is back available as soon as possible, even if it does not happen this weekend.

Celtic will not only need his quality but also his experience and leadership to get over the finish line in this league title race.

Even without McGregor, they do have a lot of quality in the middle of the park. But do they have someone who can keep a game ticking as easily as the club captain can? I have my doubts.

Then again, this might be the opportunity for someone to step up to the plate and show that they are capable of filling McGregor's role in times of need.

Roundtablesports is absolutely Free to join! You can post your own thoughts, comment on articles, and start conversations with our Roundtable Writers. Scroll up to the top of the page and click 'Join'.

Download the FREE Roundtable APP, and get even easier access to your favourite teams and news!