After suffering a humbling defeat against Valencia on Thursday evening, Celtic will face a more familiar foe on Sunday afternoon when they travel to Ayrshire to face Steve Clarke’s Kilmarnock. A trip to Rugby Park is probably one of the most difficult fixtures Celtic could have after a difficult European tie and the match is anything but a foregone conclusion.

Kilmarnock have already beaten Celtic in Ayrshire this season and will be keen for revenge after the 5-0 thrashing they received at Celtic Park the last time the two sides met. Kilmarnock have struggled a little in recent weeks and are without a win in their last four matches, and the absence of Eamonn Brophy is a huge loss for Clarke’s side, who already lost Greg Stewart last month to Aberdeen.

With Kilmarnock struggling a little for form and without their two most effective attackers this season, Celtic fans will probably feel cautiously optimistic going into Sunday’s game. Brendan Rodgers’ side have been in imperious form domestically since the turn of the year, winning all seven of their league and cup fixtures without conceding a single goal.

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While Celtic’s recent run of form makes for mightily impressive viewing, Rodgers must still be wary of the threat Kilmarnock pose, especially on the counter. Anyone who saw the Valencia game the other night will have noted how vulnerable Celtic looked on the counter attack and while Kilmarnock are obviously not of the same calibre as the Spanish club, similarities can be drawn between the tactical systems and style of play employed by both clubs.

Kilmarnock’s setup relies heavily on soaking up periods of extended pressure before springing on the break at pace. Players like Jordan Jones are tasked with driving at the opposition defence and moving the ball quickly up the pitch, and Kilmarnock are one of the best teams in the Premiership in this regard.

As the graphic above details, only Celtic attempt more dribbles during any given match than Kilmarnock; hardly surprising, given the fact that Rodgers’ side enjoy the lion’s share of possession in almost every game and have a wealth of attacking, creative players at their disposal. Not only do Kilmarnock attempt a lot of dribbles, but they’re also one of the most effective sides in Scotland at beating their man. 71% of dribbles attempted by Kilmarnock are successful; only Celtic (74%) and Hibernian (72%) boast a higher success rate.

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Tiredness is another issue that Rodgers cannot afford to downplay. The Northern Irishman is blessed with a large squad of players at his disposal and one would expect Rodgers to rest some players ahead of next week’s return leg in Spain. There is a balance to be struck here, however, and history tells us that Rodgers hasn’t always got this right.

It is no coincidence that the majority of games where Celtic have slipped up this season have came immediately after European encounters. After drawing 1-1 with AEK Athens in the Champions League qualifiers, Celtic then lost 1-0 at Tynecastle a few days later. After their 1-0 win over Rosenborg, Celtic were defeated at Rugby Park. After the home game against Salzburg, they travelled to Easter Road and left on the wrong end of a 2-0 scoreline.

Celtic have had an away league game after a European match on five occasions this season, and have won just one. Aside from the 6-0 hammering of St Johnstone, Celtic have only found the net on one occasion - away to Kilmarnock, where they lost 2-1 - during an away game immediately after a European tie.

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It appears that after a European fixture, Celtic aren’t quite as all-conquering as they usually are. Particularly when a difficult away day follows a European match, more often than not Celtic will slip up against their domestic opponents. Kilmarnock will be all too aware of this and Clarke will surely be looking to exploit any tiredness lingering from those who also started the Valencia game, or rustiness on the part of those players that will be filling in.

This European hangover doesn’t always affect Celtic, it must be said. After all, the biggest away win recorded by any Premiership club this season - Celtic’s 6-0 win at McDiarmid Park - came immediately after the champions’ Europa League defeat at the hands of Salzburg in Austria. There is precedent for Rodgers’ side shrugging off a recent European encounter and getting back to business domestically, but is a fairly isolated incident, relatively speaking.

Tomorrow’s encounter at Rugby Park promises to be intriguing prospect and while Celtic are the favourites to leave with all three points, Kilmarnock have been here before and are perhaps the league’s best-equipped side to take advantage of any slackness in Celtic’s play after their Europa League match on Thursday night. Kilmarnock’s counter-attacking style gives them a decent chance of victory, as does the fact that Celtic are prone to slipping up after European encounters. Rodgers will be expecting a tight game, and must be wary of the threat that Kilmarnock pose.