Steve Clarke is resigned to the SPFL having a full fixture programme on the weekend of March 21/22.
Scotland have a European Championship play-off semi-final on Thursday March 26 with Rod Petrie suggesting at the weekend that he would request a postponement of domestic fixtures ahead of a home match against Bulgaria, Romania or Bulgaria.
The round of 16 Europa League ties are played on March 12 and 19 with the post-split SPFL fixtures starting on April 18.
March 28/29 is already an international weekend, ahead of a potential Euro 2020 play off tie against Norway or Serbia with Clarke realistic enough to realise that another international break is unrealistic.
Asked about a break before the European Championship semi-final play-off he told The Sun:
I’m going to have three training sessions to get them back on the bike and ready to go. It’s not a lot but, on the back of what we’ve done previously, then I hope it will be enough.
I can’t remember if I actually said I wanted a cancellation of fixtures — I don’t think I did. All we are asking for is for a little bit of common sense to come in on that weekend.
The flip side of that is that I don’t want Rangers or Celtic to get knocked out of the Europa League before then but if they are playing on the Thursday night the previous week, then there’s nothing we can do about that.
Celtic are due to play St Johnstone at home on March 21 but that would be pushed back 24 hours if Neil Lennon’s side are still involved in the Europa League.
In December the SPFL have scheduled Celtic to play Hibs on December 15, away to Hearts on the 17th followed by Aberdeen at home on the 22nd.