Football: Burchill can fire Celtic

SCOTTISH PREVIEW

CELTIC GO into the match with St Johnstone today at McDiarmid Park with events off the pitch still dominating their timetable.

Supporters believe that a takeover consortium, which includes their former player Kenny Dalglish and the Simple Minds singer Jim Kerr, would amount to a dream team - and are now looking for the side to shape up.

Following the departure of Jock Brown as general manager last Saturday, Celtic chalked up a 6-1 victory over Dundee. Jozef Venglos's side should now record successive victories with the Saints short on confidence after the 7-0 demolition by Rangers last week.

Mark Burchill will probably be in the line-up after marking his first start with two goals.

The 18-year-old striker's agent, Blair Morgan, is currently in talks with the finance director, Eric Riley, and at the moment all the signs point to the player remaining at Parkhead.

Andy McCondichie will stay in goal as Jonathan Gould and Stewart Kerr are both injured.

Celtic are set to ease their goalkeeping crisis by snapping up Blackpool's Steve Banks. They have already made an approach for the 26-year-old and are poised to make a pounds 500,000 bid.

Russell Anderson is determined to burst Rangers' bubble at Ibrox and prove that Aberdeen are on the mend after the club ended a dismal run of 12 games without a win by defeating Dunfermline 2-1 last weekend. That victory lifted their spirits and the Scotland Under-21 defender Anderson hopes they can carry on the good work against the league leaders. He said: "You always get a difficult match at Ibrox, but we can now approach it with confidence and hopefully come away with a good result."

The unsettled Craig Hignett is expected to retain his place in midfield for Aberdeen. It has been reported that the club would be willing to give him four days off a week so he can visit his children in Warrington.

Hearts, who returned to winning ways at the weekend, travel to Motherwell while Dundee entertain Kilmarnock in the day's other games.

Dunfermline face Dundee United on Sunday, anxious to escape the foot of the table after only one Premier League victory this season.