Martin O’Neill expecting difficult test at Rugby Park

This Sunday sees a trip to Rugby Park to take on Kilmarnock in the SPFL following a week of nail-biting last-gasp scoring to maintain progress in the Scottish Cup and claim another three points in the fight for the title. Yet another three points are on the wish list for Martin O’Neill and his players in Ayrshire this Sunday against a side who have turned things around on the home front lately by winning their last two games there – 3-0 against Aberdeen and 4-3 over St Mirren – their first home wins since early October. And when asked what he was expecting on Sunday, the Celtic manager said: “A really difficult game obviously. “They are on a good run of form now at this moment with changes, and I really expect a difficult match. They’ll be up for it, no question about that.”Not only have the Hoops grasped winning scorelines in their past two matches this week, they also left it late on their last visit to Rugby Park back in September when a Kelechi Iheanacho penalty in the last minute secured a 2-1 win. On whether regular last-minute goals are a positive or negative thing, the Irishman said: “If those late goals did prove resilience and a bit of character, then that’s great. “But I don’t think you can live on your nerves for the rest of the time like that, expecting or hoping that you’re going to dig out a winner very late on. It’s not plausible.” Watch the full video to hear the manager on: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain The title fight Twists and turns in the league Stephen Welsh His 200th league game milestone as Celtic manager Injuries More on the game: Keep up with all of the matchday action: Official Celtic match centre FixturesKilmarnock Vs. Celtic – Sun, Feb 15th 2026, 14:00