A dreadful defeat against Hearts has put Celtic on the back foot in the Premiership race. Rejuvenated Rangers have outmanoeuvred their bitter rivals in all competitions and Brendan Rodgers, the Hoops boss, must regroup his men before this weekend’s encounter against bottom-placed Livingston. A setback on Saturday afternoon would further damage their title hopes during this festive season.
Livi are ‘going through a period of adversity’ as revealed by David Martindale after it ended in a stalemate with Kilmarnock at Almondvale. Despite scoring first, a brace from Bojan Miovski ruined their trip to Aberdeen on Wednesday night and it is to be seen now whether they pull off a miracle at Parkhead having been defeated 3-0 in the reverse tie.
Predicted 4-3-3 Celtic Lineup To Face Livingston
Defence
Joe Hart was sent off against Livingston when these two sides locked horns in West Lothian earlier this campaign. Yet the Bhoys scored goals and grabbed a clean sheet thanks to ‘number 2’ Scott Bain’s mastery between the sticks. Hart struggled against Hearts in the previous gameweek but is expected to depict more control and authority between the sticks in the upcoming fixtures.
Although Celtic are spoilt for choice in deep defence, Rodgers prefers not to rotate his centre-backs unless there is an injury crisis. Cameron Carter-Vickers and Liam Scales should keep their place in the heart of the backline with Nat Phillips set to return to Liverpool after failing to secure a regular status. Stephen Welsh, Maik Nawrocki and Gustaf Lagerbielke are also there to challenge and cover the central defenders, and so are Alexandro Bernabei and Anthony Ralston who remain the understudy to Greg Taylor and Alistair Johnston for the fullback spots.
Midfield
The long-term absence of Reo Hatate leaves a massive void in the middle of the park. Skipper Callum McGregor should drive the show from his deep-lying role, however, high-flying Matt O’Riley needs a more stable midfield partner who would carry the ball from the deep as well as offer his creative spark in and around the attacking third. Paulo Bernardo, David Turnbull and Odin Thiago Holm have been rotated extensively over the past few weeks, also, McGregor was deployed box-to-box with Tomoki Iwata slotting in as the ‘number six’. Turnbull, who offers more experience and directness, deserves a run of games to exhibit his flair and finesse.
Attack
Liel Abada is still sidelined with his thigh injury, but the return of Daizen Maeda is a massive boost considering the mediocrity of both Mikey Johnston and Yang Hyun-jun down the right-hand flank. Luis Palma has been a revelation from the left, and the gaffer should rely on Kyogo Furuhashi high up the pitch due to his movement and poaching traits. The likes of James Forrest and Oh Hyeon-gyu could be involved from the bench to offer more firepower across the frontline.
