Celtic are unarguably running away with the Scottish Premiership, having cultivated a lead of 27 points over Aberdeen, who of course have a game in hand. It is a matter of formality now before they are crowned as Scotland’s domestic kings. However, they haven’t been complacent so far this term, as they would need to continue their fine of form to clinch a domestic treble. Brendan Rodgers’ men will face Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the fifth round of Scottish Cup on Saturday.
The Jags will face an uphill task to fork out a win against the Celts who are likely to put forth a formidable starting XI on the pitch. Celtic have been invincible in the league, have already won the League Cup, implying that the League Cup would enhance their bragging rights. At Parkhead this weekend, Rodgers might bring a change or two, which would help him to inject some more positivity into his troops.
Defence
Rodgers has been scratching his head over the selection of Dorus de Vries and Craig Gordon, both of them being quite assuring with the gloves. Gordon might get the nod this weekend for he has been the Bhoys’ first choice keeper since October and opting him after considering his shot-stopping abilities would make complete sense.
One might expect some old faces in the backline which would be an intriguing part of their line-up. Mikael Lustig and Emilio Izaguirre on the right and left back slots would still make them a decent pair of fullbacks with the compact duo of Eric Sviatchenko and Kolo Toure being stationed at the heart of their defence.
Midfield
The former Liverpool manager has been an advocate of 4-2-3-1 formation, something which might be on the cards once again. Stuart Armstrong in the central attacking midfield zone with Patrick Roberts on the right and Scott Sinclair on the left will ensure a healthy attacking arsenal surging from the middle and the flanks. Centrally, Nir Button and Scott Brown are likely to be engineered as the two-man pivot. Their main task would be to shield the back four and spray passes for the attacking players.
Forward
Moussa Dembele has had to play a lot of matches, which could mean a start for Leigh Griffiths up front. Finding the back of the net hasn’t been an issue for Celtic and Griffiths should be getting a lot of assistance from a sharp attacking midfielders on Saturday.
