Celtic bounced back from their Champions League disappointment with a win against St Johnstone over the weekend. They are maintaining a comfortable lead at the top of the Premiership standings but, at the same time, must maintain the momentum when they host Hibernian on Wednesday night.
The reverse tie at Easter Road ended in a stalemate. Hibs have shown signs of improvement in recent games and the confidence must be sky-high with back-to-back wins against Kilmarnock, Dundee and Aberdeen. The Hoops remain favourites to clinch a victory in their backyard, but they might undergo another tricky test against Nick Montgomery’s men at Celtic Park.
Predicted 4-3-3 Celtic Lineup To Face Hibernian
Defence
Despite being vulnerable while dealing with crosses and set-pieces, veteran Joe Hart is set to retain his ‘number 1’ ahead of Scott Bain for the upcoming contest.
Celtic have ample depth and quality across the backline. However, Brendan Rodgers is unlikely to alter his stable ‘back four’ unless he rests some of his key defenders. Otherwise, it should be Cameron Carter-Vickers and Liam Scales featuring again in deep defence over Stephen Welsh, Nat Phillips, Maik Nawrocki and Gustaf Lagerbielke. Alistair Johnston has been the first-choice right fullback since his arrival, and so is Greg Taylor who should offer a balance between defence and attack down the left. Anthony Ralston and Alexandro Bernabei would be among the substitutes to challenge and cover the first-team fullback pair.
Midfield
Skipper Callum McGregor stepped in against the Saints with a stellar strike that brought Celtic back in the game midway through the second half. He must depict his excellence from the deep and orchestrate the show as a ‘number 6’. Matt O’Riley, who turned it around in Perth, should maintain his supremacy as a box-to-box midfielder. His down-the-middle runs, ball-carrying ability and shooting traits would offer a creative spark from the middle of the spark. David Turnbull might get dropped for Paulo Bernardo as the gaffer is yet to figure out the best possible ‘number 8’ option in the wake of Reo Hatate’s injury absence. Besides Turnbull, Odin Thiago Holm and Tomoki Iwata could get involved as late substitutes.
Attack
