For Celtic supporters, the day Moussa Dembele truly announced his arrival at the club will be one which is well remembered for the rest of their lives. It came against Rangers little over a year ago, when the then 20-year-old thumped three goals past the Hoops' arch-rivals in a blistering derby display that would prove to be just the beginning of an extraordinary season for the player and for the club.

The Frenchman would go on to score 32 goals in all competitions, netting in semi-finals, finals and the group stages of the UEFA Champions League. It was a debut season as good as many supporters have ever seen at Celtic Park, a season that saw him arrive as a relatively unknown prospect and head into summer of 2017 as the side's first-choice striker.

This season though has not quite been the kind of fairy tale story that we've come to expect from the striker. Injury problems have littered his 2017 and he finds himself in a testing position, playing second fiddle to Leigh Griffiths and struggling for form and fitness.

The time is right though for him to begin his Celtic resurgence. Brendan Rodgers' side play a very testing five fixtures before the end of October, in three competitions, with difficult matches expected in each. It's in this period, with the stakes high and the pressure on, that Dembele can regain his throne at Celtic.

Problems to overcome

The Frenchman set a standard last term and getting him back to those levels quickly won't be an easy task.

Rodgers has difficult decisions to make, having to balance the knowledge that Dembele has significant ability with the fact he is not just lacking fitness, but has Leigh Griffiths ahead of him in the team, looking as hungry and as impressive as ever. The Hoops cannot afford any passengers in upcoming matches and while Dembele needs the game time to play himself back into form, the truth is Griffiths is perhaps the best option right now.

The 21-year-old has scored just one goal since March. While injury issues are of course to blame, he has made ten appearances in that period, lacking the swagger and confidence that defined his bursts of exceptional form last season.

Griffiths has worked hard over the last 18 months to improve the deficiencies in his all-round game, beyond his natural goalscoring ability, which was always the criticism of the Scotland international when compared with Dembele.

It's no longer as easy to justify the selection of the youngster when considering matches like the upcoming trip to Bayern Munich, which require forward play beyond simply poaching goals, something he'd have been a shoe-in for this time last year.

The big game player

When it comes to big games though, and there are plenty for the Hoops before the end of the month, there's few you'd trust more in the Celtic team than Moussa Dembele. He turned up in almost every big test and one-off occasion the side faced last season.

He scored five goals in each of the cup competitions, including in the semi-final and the final of the Scottish League Cup. He scored in three derbies, including an equalising goal at Ibrox and the first Hoops hat-trick in the fixture since 1973. He scored five goals in Europe including a crucial last minute penalty in a qualifier and a double against Manchester City, who at the time were showing as impressive form in the English Premier League as they are right now.

The striker has the mentality to shine on these occasions and at the level Celtic are looking to get to, it's all about having that belief in yourself and the confidence to be ruthless when the chances present themselves.

With the upcoming schedule as heavy and testing as it has ever been during Rodgers' reign, he will undoubtedly get game time and starts. Will it come against Bayern Munich this Wednesday? That's perhaps a bit soon for him. Will it come at Hampden against Hibs? There's every chance. Even if he has to wait until the top of the table clash away to Aberdeen next Wednesday, his time will surely come.

When it does, you'd be silly not to back him to shine once again and show why he has garnered so much hype since moving to Glasgow, re-establishing himself as the best player in Scotland.

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