Premiership giants Celtic will be eager to continue their winning run in the league when they travel across Glasgow to take on Steven Gerrard’s Rangers side at the Ibrox Stadium this weekend. The last meeting between these two Scottish heavyweights saw the Gers come away as 2-0 winners, in a fixture that saw Neil Lennon’s men being completely outclassed from start to finish. Despite being in what was a rather pathetic run of from all the way through October and November, Celtic have now seemingly pulled things back. Having picked up a 3-0 win against Dundee United on the weekend, beating Rangers at the Ibrox would be the perfect way for Neil Lennon’s side to end what has been far from a comfortable year for them.
Team News
Celtic haven’t had too many injuries to deal with over the course of the season, but the absence of one player has caused the team a lot of from in the current Premiership campaign. James Forrest has undoubtedly been one of the Celts’ biggest driving forces in attacks, and his injury-rated absence has cost them dearly. The pace and directness that he offers down the flank has been sorely missed, and their inability to effectively replace him has caused issues as well. The speedster isn’t going to be in contention for this Old Firm derby either. Christopher Jullien picked up a knock in midweek, and could hence miss this tie as well.
Here Is The Predicted 4-1-3-2 Celtic Lineup Vs Rangers:
Predicted 4-1-3-2 Celtic Lineup Vs Rangers
Defence
The goalkeeping position has been one of real concern for Celtic for a number of months now, and that is largely down to the questionable business they did in the role over the course of the summer. Despite various question marks about his quality, Vasilis Barkas is the man who should start in between the sticks against Rangers. With Christopher Jullien unlikely to be available for selection, Nir Bitton should come into the side once again to replace the Frenchman, alongside Kristoffer Ajer. Diego Laxalt and Jeremie Frimpong should start in the two full-back slots.
Midfield
Since Neil Lennon brought Ismaila Soro into the team a few weeks ago, it must be conceded that he has arguably been their most influential player. He picked up a goal and an assist against United last time out, which means that his place in the team is pretty much secure. David Turnbull is another name who has really come to the fore over recent fixtures, and the promising youngster should take up the number ten role, in behind the two main strikers. Turnbull will be supported by Ryan Christie and Callum McGregor on either side of the attacking-midfield line.
Attack
A two-man strike force is something that Neil Lennon has experimented with on numerous instances this season, but only now has it started to bear fruit for the Parkhead club. Odsonne Edouard has not been in the best of form over recent months, but there’s no denying that he’s their most dangerous player on his day. Expect the Frenchman to keep his place in the attack-line, with Leigh Griffiths expected to start alongside him. The duo has been doing the job for Celtic over the last couple of fixtures, and it would be a questionable move if Lennon were to separate them for this key outing.
