Celtic will take on Aberdeen at the Hampden Park in the League Cup final this Sunday. The Hoops are coming on the back of an away win against Rosenborg in the Europa League. Brendan Rodgers hasn’t yet lost a single domestic trophy since his arrival at Park Head, and he would look to continue that record this weekend as well.
The Bhoys will go in as favourites, but Aberdeen can make use of the extra time they had to prepare for this game. The Dons might have to play out of their skins to come home with the trophy but in a one-off game, anything is possible and Derek McInnes’ side would be looking to pull off an upset.
Team News
Scott Brown could be in contention to start after he played a few minutes in the Europa League after coming back from injury. Kristoffer Ajer is yet to recover from his horror face injury. Daniel Arzani and Eboue Kouassi are probably out until the end of the season. Rodgers confirmed that he would stick with Scott Bain in goal for the League Cup final. Nir Bitton is also back in training after a long layoff. He could feature on the bench.
Celtic predicted lineup vs Aberdeen
Formation (4-2-3-1)
Defence
Craig Gordon is going to miss out as Scott Bain is set to start in goal. The centre-back pairing of Filip Benkovic and Dedryk Boyata almost seem impenetrable at the moment, and we don’t see Rodgers budging from the dependable duo for this important clash. The ever-present Kieran Tierney will start from the left, and Mikael Lustig would begin from the right to complete the back four.
Midfield
Scott Brown and Olivier Ntcham can be back in their usual roles in midfield after missing almost a month of action. Brown will also take the captaincy armband from Lustig. The experience of Brown would come in handy in the big final.
Ryan Christie’s form is such that he seems to be a nailed-on starter and we believe he should start just behind the striker in the no. 10 role. Down the left, Callum McGregor should get a go-ahead of Scott Sinclair. James Forrest who is in the form of his life should start down the right.
Attack
Leigh Griffiths might be back to full fitness, but Rodgers is likely to go in with his record summer signing Odsonne Edouard up top. His physical presence, strength and dribbling abilities set him apart, and he is going to be a significant threat against the Dons.
