Celtic will face off against St. Johnstone at the McDiarmid Park on Sunday hoping to return to winning ways after a dismal showing in the UEFA Europa League. The Hoops suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of FC København in midweek, so Neil Lennon will be desperate to see his players respond positively in the Scottish Cup when they travel to Perth later this weekend.
The Parkhead outfit could set up in a 3-5-2 formation with Ryan Christie and Leigh Griffiths expected to be named in Lennon’s starting XI.
3-5-2 Celtic Predicted Lineup Vs St. Johnstone
Defence
Lennon has used Scott Bain in the earlier rounds of the Scottish Cup, but that could change as he will look to go with his strongest XI on Sunday. So we believe that Fraser Forster will operate in goal for the Glaswegian outfit as he looks to secure a clean sheet away at Perth.
The Hoops might revert to a back three for this game following their collapse versus FC København in midweek. Hence, we can expect Jozo Simunovic to play alongside Kristoffer Ajer and Christopher Jullien as they look to put in a much-improved collective display this weekend.
Lennon refused to blame Simunovic for his defensive mistakes against FC København earlier this week (via One Football). The Croatian defender could get another chance to make up for his midweek meltdown by performing at a high level on Sunday.
Midfield
Ryan Christie was suspended for the Europa League clash versus the Danish outfit so he should be a nailed-on starter in midfield alongside Callum McGregor and Scott Brown. The talented trio will look to work hard in establishing Celtic’s dominance at the centre of the park. Greg Taylor will get the nod to line up as the left wing-back while Jeremie Frimpong hopes to put in a decent display down the right flank.
James Forrest and Tom Rogic will have to settle for a place on the bench but might come on to influence the game if required.
Attack
Lennon could reintroduce Leigh Griffiths to play along with Odsonne Edouard up top. The Hoops strikeforce will be expected to do most of the damage in the final third when they travel to Perth on Sunday. It’s high time that they started banging in the goals so that the Glaswegian giants can successfully bounce back from their disappointing Europa League exit by reaching the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup.
