Keith Wyness: Celtic have inadvertently handed title advantage to Rangers
That is according to former Aberdeen chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that Martin O'Neill faces a huge issue in terms of squad depth moving forward.
The Bhoys were beaten 3-1 at home by Ferencvaros on Thursday night in their opening Europa League outing, just days after they were thrashed 3-0 by Rangers in the Premier Sports Cup.
Wyness believes that while Celtic will earn up to £20million from their European campaign, they have handed Rangers the edge in the title race in the process.
O'Neill's men will face a continuous schedule of games on both Thursdays and Sundays, which has proven to be gruelling and difficult for clubs to handle in recent years.
However, Wyness believes that it was foolish of the club hierarchy not to have put more plans in place for this scenario in the summer.
Celtic squad 'too thin' to handle Europa League
Aberdeen's former chief Wyness - who served as CEO at Pittodrie between 2000 and 2004 and now runs a consultancy business advising elite clubs - believes that Celtic's squad is likely to be "too thin" to handle the rigours of a Europa League campaign.
The Bhoys added 10 new faces to their senior squad this summer, but the Scottish businessman still believes that the board could have done more to provide depth for the playing group.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, Wyness explained why Celtic's Europa League campaign will leave the door open for Rangers in terms of the title race.
"I think it could be a really big red flag for them. The revenue will probably be at £20m for the group stage, which is still, in Scottish terms, a lot of money," he said.
"But it's that Thursday, Sunday, which is a big problem for a squad that is fairly thin. Once again, the fans will shout and point clearly at the board and say the investment hasn't been there, and I've got to agree with the fans to a great degree.
"I think the board could have been more prescient, and they could have been a lot more secure. It's the same old story with Celtic, but I do think Thursday-Sunday is going to be very tough for them.
"And this is where Derek McInnes has a chance with Rangers to get his squad ticking.
"If Celtic start to drop points in domestic fixtures on the Thursday-Sunday routine, and it's been proven many, many times that it's a big problem for clubs, then I'd expect Rangers to come back and start to make a title challenge."
Celtic fans could 'turn on Martin O'Neill'
Former Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that Celtic fans could potentially "turn on" O'Neill if they lose to Rangers again in the Scottish Premiership this weekend.
It has been a hugely challenging week for the boss, who is clearly feeling the pressure a little after giving a spiky interview ahead of the defeat to Ferencvaros.
Brown described Celtic's Premier Sports Cup defeat to Rangers as a "humiliation," and he does not believe that the fans will accept another chastening afternoon this weekend.
Standards are set extremely high at Celtic Park after a period of huge success on the pitch, and O'Neill could fall victim to that if he cannot steady the ship.