Celtic have enjoyed a flying start to their Premiership campaign with back-to-back wins against Kilmarnock and Hibernian. They will now clash heads with Hibs again, this time in the second round of the League Cup competition. While it was a stroll in the park at Easter Road, the Bhoys are expected to maintain their supremacy on Sunday afternoon.
Hibernian are having a busy summer regarding the transfer business. They have also loaned in Kwon Hyeok-kyu from the Hoops, however, the South Korean midfield prodigy is ineligible to face his parent club this weekend. David Gray is struggling to restore stability across the pitch and it would be a colossal job for his men to upset the Glasgow giants at Celtic Park.
Predicted 4-3-3 Celtic Lineup To Face Hibernian
Defence
Despite having Scott Bain and Viljami Sinisalo waiting for opportunity between the sticks, Brendan Rodgers is likely to rely on veteran Kasper Schmeichel who has been tied down as Joe Hart’s successor.
Alistair Johnston has been the preferred right fullback over Anthony Ralston. But the gaffer should deploy the Scotsman following an impressive cameo appearance against Killie. Cameron Carter-Vickers and Liam Scales seem irreplaceable for their composure and resilience in the heart of the backline, and the lack of options down the left has helped Greg Taylor retain his starting status.
Midfield
The Celts have ample depth in the centre of the pitch even though they are sweating over Matt O’Riley’s future. But the Danish ace is expected to keep his place until his departure. Paulo Bernardo should get a nod over Reo Hatate after appearing as a second-half substitute in Edinburgh.
However, skipper Callum McGregor remains irreplaceable for his versatility and vision as a deep-lying playmaker. His stunning long-range strike doubled the lead when these two sides locked horns a few days back. Tomoki Iwata and Odin Thiago Holm could be introduced as late substitutes having been involved as bit-part options.
Attack
With Luis Palma facing a spell on the sidelines after picking up an ankle sprain in the win over Killie, Celtic are tipped to have Mikey Johnston and Kyogo Furuhashi back despite their respective head and shoulder injuries. Kyogo is likely to spearhead the attack while Nicolas Kuhn and James Forrest could feature from the flanks ahead of Daizen Maeda and Yang Hyun-Jun.
Maeda, in particular, is rebuilding his fitness after a brief injury layoff and it remains to be seen if/when Rodgers reinstates the Japanese attacker in the starting lineup.
