Rangers’ stalemate at Easter Road against Hibernian allowed Celtic to temporarily reclaim second place with an emphatic 2-0 victory over Falkirk. However, they have now dropped to third after the Light Blues’ thumping 5-1 win against Kilmarnock amid the cancellation of their fixture with Aberdeen on Wednesday night. While they still have this game in hand in the Premiership race, Martin O’Neill must prepare his men for the weekend’s Scottish Cup contest against Dundee at Parkhead.
The Dee secured an edgy win over Killie in the previous round, only to be drawn against the Glasgow giants. The Hoops suffered a heartbreak last season against the Dons in the Scottish Cup final, and the gaffer must be cautious on Sunday evening, as the Bhoys have already been defeated once by the struggling Dark Blues during the final days of Brendan Rodgers.
Predicted 4-3-3 Celtic Lineup To Face Dundee
Defence
Kasper Schmeichel showed his excellence between the sticks and secured a clean sheet against Falkirk for the first time since clashing heads with the same opponents a couple of weeks back. Nevertheless, we often saw Viljami Sinisalo feature in the Cup outings, and the Finnish custodian must get the nod over the veteran Dane at Celtic Park.
Celtic had a busy deadline day, as they loaned in three new faces, including Benjamin Arthur from Brentford for the rest of the season. But the young centre-half might not be handed an immediate start, with Auston Trusty set to return, serving his one-game suspension. The USMNT centre-half should be deployed alongside Liam Scales in the heart of the backline. Julian Araujo and Kieran Tierney must continue as the fullback duo ahead of Anthony Ralston, Colby Donovan, and the injured Marcelo Saracchi and Alistair Johnston. With Stephen Welsh returned to Motherwell on loan, Dane Murray, and Arthur would be there as the central defensive cover.
Midfield
Skipper Callum McGregor is irreplaceable for his ability to dictate the game from the base as a deep-lying playmaker. Celtic rejected a record £25m offer from Nottingham Forest for Arne Engels late in the window, and the high-flying midfield maestro might grab more attention in the coming days if he continues to impress in the middle of the park. Versatile Benjamin Nygren has shown his exquisite poaching attribute by firing 15 times across competitions. The Swede should occupy the other ‘number 8’ spot ahead of Paulo Bernardo and the ex-Dundee ace Luke McCowan.
Attack
After Tomas Čvančara’s immediate impact high up the pitch, Celtic fans would hope for a similar influence from their deadline-day signings, Junior Adamu and Joel Mvuka. But the pair should wait for their opportunities, so should summer recruits Sebastian Tounekti, Michel-Ange Balikwisha and Kelechi Iheanacho, given the flair and finesse of Daizen Maeda and Yang Hyun-Jun from the flanks. James Forrest, at the twilight of a glorious career, could be involved at some point as a second-half substitute.
