Celtic are looking to return to Dubai in January for some warm weather training for the fifth year running.
Although there is no winter break this year Video Celts understands that the club is looking to fly out straight after the Glasgow derby on January 2 for a week before returning for the home match against Hibs on January 11. It seems from Leenne Dempster’s tweet the Hibs match was put back two days at Celtic’s request.
After trips to Turkey and Gran Canaria under Ronny Deila new manager Brendan Rodgers insisted on the top quality facilities in Dubai which allowed players to holiday with their family then get in a solid week of training. Despite the cash on offer from playing a friendly while in the Emirate Rodgers insisted on training only.
With just nine days between fixtures there won’t be any family element this year but after a gruelling schedule of nine matches from facing AC Milan on Thursday through to the Ibrox clash the break will be welcomed by all.
Training in Dubai has been credited with playing a big part in Celtic’s success of the last few seasons, after losing the Glasgow derby last December Neil Lennon’s squad returned to a run of 28 points from 10 matches that clinched a ninth title while also progressing to the semi-final of the Scottish Cup.
Apologies to our supporters and our head coach. This was done without my knowledge – we said no to the original request from Celtic because the request didn’t work for our club. The SPFL appears to have agreed this without a call to the decision makers at our club. @spfl https://t.co/pyH69mYE6K
— Leeann Dempster (@LeeannDempster) November 30, 2020
