Despite back-to-back Premiership wins against Ross County and Aberdeen, Celtic suffered a massive setback last weekend when they got eliminated from the Scottish League Cup following a second-round defeat against Kilmarnock. Brendan Rodgers’ men must be determined to bounce back on Saturday afternoon as they set to host the struggling St Johnstone at Celtic Park.
The Hoops are expected to secure a few more new names before the summer window is slammed shut. The Northern Irishman would demand a reaction from his men, particularly before the upcoming Old Firm derby at Ibrox. The Saints, on the other hand, have lost both the Premiership games and their defeats against the lower league sides in the Scottish League Cup group stage have raised concerns over their preparedness towards retaining top-flight status beyond this campaign.
Predicted 4-3-3 Celtic Lineup To Face St Johnstone
Defence
Joe Hart, 36, is not a long-term solution between the sticks. But his experience has cemented his ‘number 1’ status ahead of Scott Bain and Benjamin Siegrist.
Celtic have a major crisis in the heart of the backline amid injuries to Cameron Carter-Vickers, Stephen Welsh, Maik Nawrocki and Yuki Kobayashi. Summer signing Gustaf Lagerbielke could be lined up alongside the outcast Liam Scales in the heart of the backline, but the fullback spots remain unaltered with Anthony Ralston and Greg Taylor set to operate from the right and left respectively. Alistair Johnston is back in training, but the gaffer must not rush his return as the Canadian is still recovering from an ankle injury.
Midfield
Skipper Callum McGregor must drive the show from his deep-lying midfield role. His vision and game-reading attributes would help Celtic dominate the game in the centre of the pitch. However, the Scotsman must also guide the decimated defensive line until they regain stability. Reo Hatate is set to be sidelined till the September international break, and his absence would see Matt O’Riley and David Turnbull operating box-to-box and contribute to the attacking build-ups as ‘number 8s’. Tomoki Iwata, as well as the summer recruits Hyeok-Kyu Kwon and Odin Thiago Holm, could get involved as second-half substitutes.
Attack
Although the Hoops have lost Jota, Rodgers is relieved to have ample attacking options in his ranks. Hyun-Gyu Oh, Mikey Johnston and Marco Tilio are ruled out due to fitness reasons, but they have Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda and Liel Abada who were pivotal to their last season’s ‘treble’ triumph. The lethal frontline would be challenged and covered by Sead Haksabanovic, Hyun-Jun Yang and the veteran James Forrest.
