Celtic captain Stephen McManus is determined to pay a "tremendous tribute" to Tommy Burns by winning the Clydesdale Bank Premier League.
Celtic, who lead Rangers by four goals, will almost certainly secure their third successive championship if they win at Dundee United on Thursday night.
The last time Celtic clinched the title at Tannadice, 27 years ago, Burns was on the scoresheet.
And McManus believes lifting the SPL trophy on Tayside would be a fitting honour in a week when the legendary former player, manager and coach was laid to rest.
"We have always said from the start of the season, especially when things got a bit tough, when folk started getting on our backs, that we were doing it for ourselves," he said.
"That's still the case but I think things have changed in the last week. We'll certainly be using the Tommy side of it as a motivation.
"It would be a fitting end to the season and a tremendous tribute if we could go and win the title, and it would certainly be dedicated to Tommy."
Manager Gordon Strachan would not say his team would win the title for Burns, who was first-team coach and head of youth development in his final years at the club.
But he knows his close friend would like to see those around him happy again after a painful week since Burns died aged 51 last Thursday.
"What you have got to remember is that Tommy has never asked anyone to do anything for him in his life," Strachan said.
"What Tommy would like is other people around him enjoying themselves. So we are going to do it for everyone Tommy would like to do it for.
"And that includes his team-mates, players, fans. We will be doing it for the people who Tommy wanted to see enjoying themselves."
Strachan shed tears when he spoke to the media on the day Burns died, insisting their friendship had been the highlight of his time at Parkhead.
The tears flowed again in the east end of Glasgow on Wednesday when the funeral cortege passed by 20,000 supporters outside Celtic Park after an emotional service at nearby St Mary's Church.
But the Celtic boss is confident his players, who all attended the church in Calton, can now get the "blinkers" on and focus on football.
"It's a rollercoaster ride," Strachan said. "Sometimes you get through it, sometimes you don't.
"Sometimes you think you are over it and have done your crying and you start again.
"But I can see they're switched on now for the game. That's good because it has been an emotional four or five days.
"You just hope as coaches we have done our best in the last couple of days.
"And today we were back to normal - laughing and joking and hard work. That's the way we have got to do it - it's blinkers on now and we get on with the game.
"We have got ourselves to the last game of the season and six or seven weeks ago people didn't think that was possible.
"So we take the enthusiasm we get from the last six or seven weeks and we use that from this morning to the game."
McManus agreed that they would be able to concentrate on the match despite their grief for their popular coach.
"It has certainly been the toughest week a lot of us have had to deal with in our career," the 25-year-old added.
"Football has had to take a back seat, to be perfectly honest.
"It was good getting the funeral done yesterday - now we can concentrate on the football."
