Reason behind St Johnstone vs Celtic postponement revealed

Celtic will not feature in the Scottish Premiership this weekend despite originally being scheduled to travel to McDiarmid Park to face St Johnstone.

The Hoops remain unbeaten in every competition this season after producing an impressive 3-0 victory over LASK in the first leg of their Champions League play-off on Wednesday night.

Martin O’Neill admitted Celtic had to withstand some pressure during the game, but they were clinical when opportunities came their way. Benjamin Nygren opened the scoring with a superb finish before Camilo Duran struck twice to put Celtic firmly in control of the tie.

With the second leg in Austria coming up on Tuesday, Celtic have been handed additional preparation time because their league meeting with St Johnstone was postponed.

Why was St Johnstone vs Celtic postponed?

The Premiership fixture at McDiarmid Park, which was due to take place on Saturday, August 22, was postponed under an SPFL rule covering clubs involved in UEFA qualifying play-offs.

The rule allows Scottish clubs competing in European play-off rounds to postpone their third-round Premiership fixture without requiring approval from the opposition. Celtic chose to use that option to avoid having a domestic match placed between their two crucial Champions League fixtures.

The rule was also introduced last season as part of efforts to give Scottish clubs the best possible opportunity to progress in European competition. The thinking is that stronger performances in Europe can ultimately benefit Scottish football and the Premiership as a whole.

Scottish football authorities have previously faced criticism over fixture scheduling when domestic clubs are competing in Europe, particularly compared with leagues elsewhere in Europe that make greater allowances for teams involved in UEFA competitions. The SPFL has therefore continued to provide clubs with greater flexibility during the qualifying stages.

A new date for St Johnstone vs Celtic has yet to be confirmed, although the fixture is expected to be rearranged for a midweek date later in the campaign.

As a result, Celtic’s next Premiership fixture will be at home to Falkirk on Saturday, August 29. That will leave them with a 21-day gap between league matches, following their opening victories over Dundee and Kilmarnock and their involvement in the Premier Sports Cup and Champions League qualifiers.

For now, Celtic’s attention is firmly on Austria, where they will look to complete the job against LASK and secure their place in the next stage of Champions League qualifying.