Celtic will make a short trip to the Firhill Stadium to take on Partick Thistle in the second round of the Scottish Cup hoping to successfully seal a passage through into the next round of the competition. Brendan Rodgers had to see his side bow out of this year’s UEFA Champions League when the Hoops lost to AEK Athens with a 3-2 aggregate score over two legs.
The Celtic boss would now hope his players bounce back against their Maryhill-based opponents this weekend in what could prove to be a tricky tie for the Bhoys. The Scottish champions are likely to revert to their 4-3-3 formation for this clash with Rodgers not having any fresh injury concerns to deal with at the moment. It is expected that the Northern Irish manager will make some changes to his side. However, not having a settled first XI could harm the club’s chances in the long run.
4-3-3 Celtic Predicted Lineup To Face Partick Thistle
Defence
Brendan Rodgers would once again select Craig Gordon to start for the Glaswegian outfit while Scott Bain has to be content with a place on the bench. The centre-back duo of Jozo Simunovic and Jack Hendry should line up in central defence, while the highly-rated Kieran Tierney operates as the left-back and Mikael Lustig plays in the right-back position.
Cristian Gamboa could come off the bench if needed during the contest. Rodgers would expect his defenders to stay compact and put on a solid performance versus Partick Thistle on Saturday so that they have an excellent platform to go on and taste victory on the day.
Midfield
The trio of Olivier Ntcham, Scott Brown and Eboue Kouassi would be influential at the middle of the pitch and needs to perform well if the Bhoys are to break down the Partick Thistle defence this weekend. They would be responsible for controlling possession for the away side and win the majority of the 50-50 challenges against Alan Archibald’s team.
Callum McGregor might be named on the bench for this clash as Rodgers could look to bring in some reinforcements later in the match.
Attack
The front three would consist of Moussa Dembele spearheading the Celtic attack while Scott Sinclair looks to use his pace and guile down the left wing. James Forrest might start on the right side of the Hoops attack in place of Tom Rogic, who could be handed some rest.
Sinclair scored against Athens in midweek, but his contributions weren’t enough to keep his team’s Champions League hopes alive. However, that goal should give the Englishman enough confidence to go on and make the difference on Saturday.
