Celtic hope to open up an eight-point gap on second-placed Aberdeen when they host Kilmarnock tonight. Manager Ronny Deila, who will pick from an unchanged squad, has urged his players to enjoy the run-in as they go in search of the treble. He said: "We have worked so hard now for so many months to get to this position and we have to really enjoy it. It's a big, big opportunity and we are going into some very important games. I have real confidence in my players. They are working in a good way, the atmosphere in the dressing room is very good and we are really looking forward to every game now." Midfielder Charlie Mulgrew (hamstring tendon) and right-back Mikael Lustig (ankle) are still sidelined by injury. Mulgrew is getting closer to fitness and Deila expects to see him back in action before the season ends.
Gary Locke has faced Celtic four times as a manager and spent the majority of those games watching through the cracks in his fingers. However, now in permanent charge at Kilmarnock, Locke insists he has no fears ahead of his next meeting with the league leaders. As Hearts manager, Locke saw his side ship 14 goals against the Glasgow side - half of them coming in one painful 7-0 thrashing back in December 2013. He said: "It will be a difficult fixture but the guys should be looking forward to it. I know as a player I loved going to Ibrox and Celtic Park. The pressure will be off us as no-one will expect us to get a result. The pressure will all be on Celtic as they are the ones chasing a title. I've not had much luck against Celtic as boss. That 7-0 game with Hearts was a hard one to take. I had to deal with a lot of things at Tynecastle off the pitch, but in terms of football, that was probably the lowest I've been as a manger because it was an embarrassing result. The balance of this team is a bit better because there's a bit more experience in the team. We have full internationalists in this side, so we are a bit stronger than when I faced Celtic with Hearts."
Locke will take the same Kilmarnock squad which lost to Aberdeen on Sunday to Parkhead. Killie's club captain Manuel Pascali is making progress with an ankle injury but he is not expected to be fit until the first post-split game. Defender Mark Connolly (broken collarbone), midfielder Jamie Hamill (ankle) and striker Michael Ngoo (ankle) also remain on the sidelines.