Celtic are now three points ahead of Rangers in the Premiership standings, but their misery continues in Europe following a 3-1 home defeat against Bodø/Glimt at Celtic Park. The Hoops must overcome the deficit on the road and keep their European hopes alive on Thursday night by progressing to the next round of the UEFA Europa Conference League.
The Eliteserien leaders made the headlines back in October by defeating Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma at the Aspmyra Stadion. A sterner test is lying in front of Ange Postecoglou’s juggernaut and the Celts must show more grit and determination to avoid a shambolic exit from this third-tier European competition.
Predicted 4-3-3 Celtic Lineup To Face Bodø/Glimt
Defence
Joe Hart has conceded a few in recent games but should still keep his place between the sticks given his expertise and experience. The ex-Manchester City custodian must aim for a clean sheet even though he is likely to be tested repeatedly.
Josip Juranovic has been solid as a right fullback, thanks to his balanced display between defence and attack. Cameron Carter-Vickers and Carl Starfelt need to be more resilient in the heart of the backline, whereas left-back Greg Taylor should offer more creativity while making marauding runs.
Midfield
Celtic have ample options in the centre of the pitch and the winter addition of Reo Hatate, Matt O’Riley and Yosuke Ideguchi has bolstered them significantly despite the injury absence of David Turnbull. Skipper Callum McGregor should dictate the game from his deep-lying midfield role, however, the free runs and dribbling attribute of Tom Rogic must be utilized to turn things around. Hatate was introduced as Rogic’s replacement in the first leg fixture, but the duo must start the game together to be more productive from the middle of the park. The likes of Nir Bitton and James McCarthy might get introduced at a later stage if the situation demands.
Attack
Kyogo Furuhashi is recovering well but the gaffer must not rush him with an array of attacking options available in his ranks. Giorgos Giakoumakis scored a perfect hat-trick against Dundee in a thrilling 3-2 win and the Greek centre-forward should lead the line this midweek ahead of Daizen Maeda. Liel Abada is expected to operate from the right and the flair of Filipe Jota might cause menace in the Glimt defence down the left-hand flank. Mikey Johnston is ruled out following a fresh injury blow, but the Hoops have James Forrest who is tipped to play his part as a substitute.
