CELTIC are opposed to the SFA's bid to have Ladbrokes Premiership fixtures postponed ahead of the Euro 2020 play-offs in March due to their punishing schedule in the second half of the season.

Steve Clarke, the Scotland manager, is keen for the SPFL not to stage any games on the Sunday before the semi-final against Israel on Thursday, March 26, to give him more time to work with his players.

There have been suggestions that the SFA will push to have all top flight games cancelled the weekend prior to the meeting with Andreas Herzog’s side.

Israel have scrapped all of their league games before the Hampden match to allow Herzog to take his squad on a four day training camp.

Celtic, who could have Ryan Christie, James Forrest and Callum McGregor involved in the national side, are due to face St Johnstone at Parkhead on the Saturday before the play-off semi-final.

However, that game will be moved to the Sunday if they beat Copenhagen in a Europa League last 32 double header next month. The last 16 second leg games will be played on Thursday, November 19.

Rangers, who are likely to have Ryan Jack involved, are scheduled to take on St Mirren in Paisley on Saturday, March 21. But if they overcome Braga in the last 32 they, too, will have it pushed back to the next day.

Neil Lennon, the Celtic manager, has no fewer than seven consecutive midweek games to negotiate domestically and in Europe after play restarts again following the winter shutdown with a William Hill Scottish Cup game against Partick Thistle at Firhill on Saturday.

Lennon has previously indicated he would be in favour of the move. "Steve should get what he wants because the national team is a priority," he said last November. "The authorities should give him whatever he wants and needs for those games."

But the Northern Irishman, who was scathing about the SFA decision to cite Ryan Christie for an incident in the game against Rangers at Parkhead last month and then hand him a two match ban last week, confirmed the treble treble winners are now against the proposal.

“Our opinion is it wouldn’t suit us,” he said from the Scottish champions' winter training camp in Dubai. “It wouldn’t be ideal for us, put it that way.”

Clarke admitted he would like the SPFL to persuade broadcasters BT Sport and Sky to agree to postpone any Sunday games they are planning to screen live ahead of the play-off semi-final back in November.

“I don’t think it would be possible for them (SPFL) to postpone the fixture card,” he said.

“It might be nice if there were no Sunday fixtures and maybe we could make that request, but that would then become a dialogue between another organisation and the television people.

“It would be nice to think no one would be involved in a Sunday game. Maybe we could control that better in Scotland than down south.”