Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard believes losing against Rangers before the winter break was crucial to the Bhoys hitting the ground running in the second half of the season.

Neil Lennon's side beat Rangers 2-0 in the Scottish Premiership in September and then 1-0 in the final of the Scottish League Cup in early December.  

 



However, Rangers roared back and won 2-1 at Celtic Park just before the end of the year to cut the gap to Celtic at the top of the league table to just two points, while they also boasted a game in hand.

Edouard feels that losing to Rangers gave Celtic the push they needed to regroup over the winter break and come back stronger.
 


In a Q&A session on the club's Instagram account, Edouard said: "The derby we lost [was the most important part of the season].



"It allowed us to question ourselves during the break and to come back stronger for the second part of the season."

Edouard scored twice as Celtic beat Hearts 2-1 in the Scottish Cup final on the final day of last season.
 

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Reflecting on the occasion, which allowed his side to win the treble treble, the French Under-21 international said: "I was very happy.

"It was a magic moment for me, my team-mates, and all the fans."

Celtic's chance of making it a quadruple treble hangs in the balance as the authorities wait to take a final call on the fate of the season.