Lisbon Lion Tommy Gemmell has warned Celtic to prepare for a far stiffer challenge from Rangers in Walter Smith's first full season back in charge.
The former Hoops left-back hopes the Scottish champions can complete a hat-trick of triumphs in the Premier League campaign and strengthen their hold on the domestic game, but believes Celtic can forget about being gifted another head-start in the title race following Paul Le Guen's disastrous 200-day spell at Rangers last season.
Smith returned to Rangers in January and immediately restored some much-needed stability to a team left in disarray. The veteran boss is determined to keep the good work going, and Gemmell predicts a tough time ahead for Celtic manager Gordon Strachan.
"It will be harder for Celtic next season than it was last season, that's for sure," said Gemmell. "Rangers won't be as bad as they were in the first six months of last season when Paul Le Guen was there.
"Walter Smith is back at the club and Rangers could be there or thereabouts but I'm still confident that Celtic will do well.
"Whether they can improve on last year - when they got to the last 16 of the Champions League - I don't know.
"But they were very unlucky to go out to AC Milan at that stage of the tournament so they have shown what they are capable of."
Scott McDonald, Scott Brown, Chris Killen and Massimo Donati have all been recruited to bolster Celtic's squad and Gemmell insists the new recruits will have to adapt quickly to life at Parkhead.
"Celtic have strengthened the side with some new signings but, until the season starts, you never really know what will happen."
Celtic are now home from a frustrating tout in the US, where they lost 2-0 to Major League Soccer All-Stars before scraping a 1-1 draw with Chicago Fire.
Regardless of the results, 63-year-old Gemmell believes those games will have been useful as the summer signings attempt to integrate with their new club-mates.
But he believes Celtic's pre-season travels will count for nothing once the season begins in earnest.
"You need pre-season matches to get going again, to integrate the new players and get prepared for the new season ahead.
"All those pre-season games and the travelling is fine, but the real nitty-gritty will be when the championship starts."
