A total of six of Celtic's upcoming seven fixtures are outside of home.
Now their European journey is over, Celtic are now staring down a campaign-altering two-week spell.
By 14 March, they might be cruising in the league with the wind at their backs and through to the Scottish Cup semi-finals.
Or, they might find themselves further toiling to defend their title and staring at a silverware-free season.
The initial challenge is Ibrox on Sunday for a huge league encounter, with Celtic trailing Rangers by a couple of points having played one game less, with Hearts six points ahead of the champions.
This is followed by a journey in midweek to Aberdeen, before returning to Ibrox in the Scottish Cup last eight and then hosting high-flying and tough Motherwell.
A half-dozen of their following seven matches are away from Celtic Park. This often-criticized Celtic squad is about to be stress-tested after a rollercoaster first two-thirds of the season.
"There will be a lot of twists and turns," stated a former Celtic defender. "It wouldn't shock me if the league goes to the final day. But they will have to do it over the next five or six games. You have to be utterly consistent, or else they won't take the trophies."
Manager Faces Selection 'Dilemma'
Although the victory over Stuttgart being ultimately irrelevant in Celtic's quest to reach the knockout stages of the Europa League, it could still turn out to be important.
The manager changed eight of his first eleven and some of the squad members delivered impressive displays to secure the club's first ever win in Germany.
Luke McCowan calmly slotted the decisive goal after under half a minute and played positively, while in the back four, Dane Murray stood out in a gutsy performance.
Murray in particular made his case to start next to Liam Scales. A superb defensive intervention stood out and he was assured when defending corners.
But the most talked-about display was delivered by back-up goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo as he contributed significantly in a first Celtic clean sheet in six matches.
The first-choice goalkeeper has been under heavy criticism after a series of errors. The 26-year-old stepped in and made six saves, in a display labeled "perfect" by a former Celtic midfielder.
A former Celtic goalkeeper is of the opinion Sinisalo performed well enough to start against Rangers on Sunday.
"He had some excellent saves and looked composed when he had the ball and read the game well," he said. "The manager has a tough call to make at the weekend. On that performance, I would be giving him the nod. Let him keep his place in the team now."
The Celtic manager conceded that several players have given him "plenty to consider".
"[Sinisalo] was outstanding in the game, exceptionally. He's the talk all round the dressing room," the manager commented. "He's got plenty of talent."
Viljami Sinisalo staked his claim to start against Rangers on Sunday.
'Pivotal' Rangers Challenge Lies Ahead
The other benefit of Celtic's win was that they showed they can battle to a victory.
Historically, Celtic have pitched up and naturally looked to dominate the ball from the first whistle to the last against every domestic opponent.
But this less robust side had looked increasingly vulnerable in recent times, often conceding more than one goal per game.
Having not won at Ibrox in four attempts and given Rangers have won their past 10 home matches, a demonstration of toughness in Germany was timely.
Could Celtic take a somewhat more cautious approach? Right now, it is all about winning.
"You don't have to have all the possession to win the game," observed an analyst. "You've got to work hard, defend well, get a bit of luck and have a reliable shot-stopper."
"Celtic have not played well this season, but they are still in contention [in the league]. They still have a chance, with a game in hand. The players will pick up great confidence from tonight - the weekend will be a decisive one."
