Premiership giants Celtic will be looking to make it four wins out of four across all competitions when they welcome Ross County to Celtic Park on Wednesday night. The Hoops are coming into this fixture fresh off their Scottish Cup victory from last weekend, where they picked up a 4-3 penalty shootout win against Championship outfit Hearts. Although the performance was far from convincing, Neil Lennon and his team will be glad to have got through what was a difficult ninety minutes of football for them. The win meant that Celtic have now won all of the last twelve domestic trophies they were eligible for.
Although the Hoops are displaying a timely winning run, their performance levels have been far from convincing, and the manager is sure to be concerned about the football that his team is producing. Lennon is sure to remember the last time that these two sides met, as it resulted in Celtic’s exit from this season’s League Cup after the visitors picked up a 2-0 win. With the Bhoys trailing Steven Gerrard’s Rangers by a whopping 16 points on the table, Celtic fans will be eager to see their team regain form, as they try to stay in the hunt for what would be their tenth straight Premiership title.
Team News
Neil Lennon doesn’t have too many first-team injury concerns to be worried about, with speedy winger James Forrest the only player that is currently unavailable for selection. His influence in the wide areas is something that Celtic have terribly missed over the last number of weeks, and they’ll be eagerly waiting for his return to first-team action. As for the eleven itself, the manager is likely to make a few changes, so as to try and freshen things up across various areas.
Here Is The Predicted 4-2-3-1 Celtic Lineup Vs Ross County:
Predicted 4-2-3-1 Celtic Lineup Vs Ross County
Defence
Despite making the summer signing of Vasilis Barkas from AEK Athens, Neil Lennon has had to resort to alternates as his primary goalkeeping options. Although Scott Bain got a run in the team too, it looks like the weekend’s penalty shootout hero, Conor Hazard, is set to keep his place in between the sticks. In front of him, Shane Duffy is expected to drop down to the bench, with Kristoffer Ajer and Christopher Jullien taking up the two centre-half slots. Neither of Diego Laxalt or Jeremie Frimpong started the cup final on the weekend, and although they both came on at a later stage, the duo is likely to return to the first team for this clash.
Midfield
Ismaila Soro had been one of the Celts’ standout players over the last couple of fixtures until he was dropped from the eleven for the cup final though. Since then, various fans have expressed their dissatisfaction in the midfielder being benched, which means that he’s likely to return to the eleven in place of Celtic skipper Scott Brown. As good as the veteran was on the weekend, his lack of pace and energy makes him a risk against the more adventurous teams in the competition. Callum McGregor is responsible for acting as the main link between the defence and attack. Despite the alarming inconsistency, expect him to start alongside Soro in the core of the team.
Attack
Another player who has recently earned himself a first-team place is summer signing David Turnbull. Despite not starting life in Glasgow in the best fashion, he has been coming good of late, much to the delight of Celtic fans all over the country. Expect the attacker to keep his place as the number ten, playing just in behind Odsonne Edouard and offering direct support. As for the wide areas, with James Forrest out injured, Neil Lennon doesn’t have an option apart from the duo that started on the weekend. Ryan Christie should operate on the right side, with Southampton loanee Mohamed Elyounoussi deployed on the left.
