Burns asks players to turn up the heat

Scottish football

Tommy Burns, the Celtic manager, will call for one more effort from his players today to keep the club's aspirations of winning the championship alive.

Defeat for Celtic at lowly Partick would resolve the race, giving Rangers their eighth title in a row. If Celtic win, however, and Aberdeen earn something from their visit to Ibrox on Sunday, the contest will continue for another week. "My wish has to be that the league would still be alive come the final fixtures," Burns said. "All we can do is try and take care of our match at Firhill, then sit back and see what happens." Burns said he would not watch Rangers' televised match as he had a "prior engagement". He did not say so, but Burns could be in Italy watching Paulo di Canio, of Milan.

The Dane Morten Wieghorst and Tosh McKinlay are suspended, so Stuart Gray joins a squad which is without the injured pair, Phil O'Donnell and John Hughes. Burns must decide whether to give Jorge Cadete, the Portuguese international, his first start for Celtic after scoring twice as substitute.

Wieghorst's ban, meanwhile, has put paid to his hopes of joining Danish club, Lyngby, on loan - a move aimed at furthering his ambition of making the Denmark squad for Euro '96. Burns said: "It has not been possible because Morten is suspended and couldn't register with the Danish club."