Celtic finished their forgettable Champions League campaign with a 5-1 defeat against Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu. The scoreline might look humiliating, but the Hoops created an array of chances against the odds including a missed spot-kick by Josip Juranovic. However, they must focus now on defending the Premiership crown and get back to winning ways with a thumping Parkhead victory over struggling Dundee United on Saturday afternoon.
These two sides locked horns at Tannadice Park earlier this campaign and the ruthless Celts clinched an emphatic 9-0 win exhibiting their sheer dominance all throughout the tie. The Tangerines are at rock bottom of the Premiership standings along with Ross County and the gaffer Liam Fox needs to find a way to avoid more misery.
Predicted 4-3-3 Celtic Lineup To Face Dundee United
Defence
Joe Hart conceded five versus Los Blancos but should keep his place between the sticks for this league encounter. Former Dundee United custodian Benjamin Siegrist would continue as the understudy to the veteran Englishman.
A late injury ruled Cameron Carter-Vickers out against the Spanish champions. The USMNT international is likely to miss the upcoming fixture and manager Ange Postecoglou might once again rely on Moritz Jenz and Carl Starfelt in the heart of the backline. The return of Starfelt is a timely boost for Celtic given the absence of Carter-Vickers. Anthony Starfelt could feature down the right replacing Juranvoic, but the in-form Greg Taylor must keep his left fullback status ahead of Alexandro Bernabei. Young centre-half Stephen Welsh should remain among the substitutes and stay patient for his opportunity.
Midfield
Skipper Callum McGregor is sidelined until after the FIFA World Cup with a knee injury. The Aussie boss has not deployed Oliver Abildgaard as his like-for-like replacement deep down the midfield. Rather, he shifted Matt O’Riley to a ‘number 6’ role considering his ability to orchestrate the show and pull the strings from the centre of the pitch. Reo Hatate must operate in the box-to-box area as the chief ball carrier, whereas David Turnbull deserves a starting role having returned to action recently after an injury-ravaged spell. Veteran Aaron Mooy as well as James McCarthy and Abildgaard might get involved as second-half substitutes.
Attack
Filipe Jota had an impressive cameo against Carlo Ancelotti’s juggernaut. He found the net in the midweek contest’s closing minutes, and the Aussie boss should give him a nod from the start alongside Giorgos Giakoumakis and James Forrest. The likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Sead Haksabanovic, Daizen Maeda and Liel Abada could get introduced as ‘super subs’ after an hour of football.
