Neil Lennon’s Celtic side will be looking to make it two wins on the trot in the league for the first time in more than a month when they travel to Easter Road to take on fourth place Hibernian. The Hoops are coming into this tie on the back of a rather comfortable 4-1 victory against Motherwell last time out, where despite not playing all that well, a hat-trick from Mohamed Elyounoussi was enough to seal all three points. The Hibs’ last league outing was against Aberdeen a couple of weeks ago, and despite not putting up the worst performance, they came away with nothing to show for their efforts.
Team News
Hibernian
One of the misses that the home side will have to deal with during this clash is that of Lewis Stevenson, who remains sidelined with an ankle problem. Scott Allen is another player who is unlikely to feature, although a rapid return to fitness could see him come back. Kyle Magennis is another absentee that will come as a worry to the Hibs ahead of what promises to be a tough outing against Neil Lennon’s desperate Celtic side. They currently have no suspensions to deal with.
Predicted XI: Marciano, McGinn, Porteous, Hanlon, Doig, Boyle, Gogic, Newell, Murphy, Doidge, Nisbet
Celtic
The Celts will be without the presence of pacy winger James Forrest down the flank once again, as the speedster is still on his road to recovery after picking up an ankle injury earlier on in the season. Although there was talk of him possibly returning at the end of the international break, the fact that he will play no part has now been confirmed. Another player that could miss out on featuring in this fixture is Christopher Jullien. The centre-half and Mikey Johnston are both doubtful for this high-profile clash.
Predicted XI: Bain, Frimpong, Ajer, Bitton, Laxalt, McGregor, Brown, Christie, Rogic, Elyounoussi, Edouard
Here Is The Celtic Vs Hibernian Tactical Preview:
Celtic Vs Hibernian Tactical Preview
Talking Tactics
Hibernian
The Hibs will be coming into this fixture hoping to get back to winning ways in the league, but are fully aware that the challenge of Celtic isn’t going to be an easy one. However, despite the daunting nature of the task, they can take motivation from the fact that prior to the Motherwell game, Celtic’s last league win came at the start of October. If the home side are able to give the Celtic defence problems right from the off, there’s every chance that they will be able to find a way through. What they do need is to be careful about though, is Mohamed Elyounoussi’s ability to cut inside.
Celtic
The Hoops finally got back on track in the Premiership when they beat Motherwell last time out. Although the scoreline did make it look comfortable, it must be conceded that there were periods in the game where they were given a true test by the opposition attacking. Any signs of fear or uncertainty will have to be eradicated, as all Kevin Nisbet needs to do to find the net is a whiff of a chance. Moreover, the likes of Brown and McGregor will have to ensure that they take control of proceedings right from the off, as otherwise, their attacking game plan could end up backfiring.
Key Men
Hibernian
Kevin Nisbet, without a shadow of a doubt, is the Hibs’ most important player for this tie. The attacker’s ability to time his runs and give opposition defenders a hard time will be crucial to the home side finding a way through the Celtic defence line
Celtic
If it wasn’t for the presence of Southampton loanee Mohamed Elyounoussi, Neil Lennon’s men would be in a much worse situation than the one they currently find themselves in. Keeping the Norwegian involved is going to be key to a good performance for the Celts.
