Celtic are going strong in the Premiership race but, at the same time, experienced another dreadful European campaign. They have finished bottom of their Champions League group with no win in five games. Meanwhile, gaffer Ange Postecoglou might suffer more misery on Wednesday night against the reigning champions Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabéu.
While it’s a dead rubber tie for the Bhoys, Los Blancos must aim for all three points to make it to the Round of 16 as group winners. The Parkhead fixture ended 3-0 in favour of the Spanish giants and Celtic, therefore, must deliver a resolute performance to hold their heads high irrespective of the outcome.
Predicted 4-3-3 Celtic Lineup To Face Real Madrid
Defence
Joe Hart remains the Celts’ ‘number 1’ ahead of summer signing Benjamin Siegrist who has only featured in two Cup games. The veteran Englishman should retain his place and prepare for a busy occasion between the sticks against Carlo Ancelotti’s juggernaut.
Josip Juranovic was not involved in their 3-0 victory versus Livingston. The Croatia international must replace Anthony Ralston down the right in an attempt to contain Vinicius Jr. Carl Starfelt is closing in on his injury return, but the fixture against Real Madrid is too tricky to script a comeback. Moritz Jenz is likely to continue as Cameron Carter-Vickers’ central defensive partner and the in-form Greg Taylor should get the nod over Alexandro Bernabei down the left-hand side of Celtic’s four-man backline.
Midfield
The absence of skipper Callum McGregor is a massive blow for the Hoops. The Aussie boss is now relying on Matt O’Riley as a deep-lying playmaker and the ‘number 8’ roles are occupied by Aaron Mooy and Reo Hatate who offer versatility in the middle of the park. Hatate is known for his swift movements, link-up play and ball-carrying ability whereas Mooy holds the technicality and vision from an advanced midfield slot. David Turnbull and Oliver Abildgaard might play some part from the bench at a later stage of the encounter.
Attack
Although the Bhoys have Giorgos Giakoumakis in their ranks, Kyogo Furuhashi should spearhead the attack given his mobility and poaching traits inside the box. Filipe Jota is expected to grab a start down the left-hand flank after firing in as a substitute against Livi in the closing minutes of the match. Liel Abada must be preferred down the right whereas Sead Haksabanovic, James Forrest and Daizen Maeda could grab some minutes as second-half substitutes.
