A derby win before the break helped Celtic recover from their little blip early into the campaign. They maintained the momentum on Saturday afternoon by clinching a 3-0 win against Dundee, but the challenge should be sterner on Tuesday night when they would lock horns with Feyenoord in the Champions League.
The Dutch heavyweights are enjoying a blistering run of form with emphatic wins against Almere, Utrecht and Heerenveen. They will also hold the home advantage at De Kuip and the Hoops, who have struggled in Europe in the recent past, must step up their game to grab a result on the road.
Predicted 4-3-3 Celtic Lineup To Face Feyenoord
Defence
36-year-old Joe Hart remains the Bhoys’ ‘number 1’ ahead of Scott Bain. Benjamin Siegrist has not made the Champions League squad and the veteran Englishman, therefore, is expected to retain his place between the sticks in the Netherlands.
Nat Phillips was taken off at half-time against the Dee after sustaining a knock. But the gaffer Brendan Rodgers expects him to be available for the midweek clash. Liam Scales has revived his Celtic career amid injuries to Cameron Carter-Vickers, Stephen Welsh, Maik Nawrocki and Yuki Kobayashi, and the Irish centre-half is likely to partner with the Liverpool loanee in the heart of the backline. Alexandro Bernabei has not made the cut either, which would see Greg Taylor operating as the left fullback. Alistair Johnston might get the nod over Anthony Ralston for the right-back role.
Midfield
Reo Hatate is back in action overcoming a brief injury setback. However, the Celts’ boss should stick with Matt O’Riley and David Turnbull who have impressed so far as box-to-box midfield options. Hatate, Odin Thiago Holm, as well as the deadline day signing Paulo Bernardo, could be involved as substitutes, but the ‘number 6’ spot belongs to skipper Callum McGregor who would operate from the deep and drive the show with his vision, experience and distribution traits.
Attack
Celtic have dealt a fresh fitness blow with Liel Abada expected to be sidelined with a thigh injury. Having said that, they have ample attacking options in their ranks and the gaffer might undergo a selection dilemma before selecting his front three for the Feyenoord clash. Kyogo Furuhashi should be fine despite a minor shoulder injury suffered against Dundee and the likes of Daizen Maeda and Yang Hyun-Jun might occupy the wide attacking roles ahead of James Forrest, Luis Palma and Mikey Johnston.
