A 4-0 victory versus St. Mirren on Wednesday night has brought Celtic back to the winning ways in the league after a dreadful derby defeat to Rangers before the international break. The Gers’ shocking result against Kilmarnock must be a big boost for the Hoops en route to defending their Premiership throne. They will now be hosting struggling Hamilton Academical on Saturday afternoon and should secure a comfortable win to rebuild the momentum.
Team News
Despite being back in training, Brendan Rodgers opted not to include Odsonne Edouard in their midweek matchday squad. But the Frenchman might return to action this weekend. However, the likes of Kieran Tierney, Oliver Ntcham, Anthony Ralston and Marvin Compper will continue to be sidelined with their respective hip, hamstring, ankle and groin strains.
Leigh Griffiths has taken a sabbatical from football due to personal reasons whereas the Aussie Wizard Tom Rogic is with the national camp to feature in the ongoing AFC Asian Cup contest. Young duo Daniel Arzani and Kouassi Eboue have ruptured their cruciate ligaments and are ruled out for the remainder of the campaign.
Rodgers, meanwhile, opted not to line up wantaway Dedryck Boyata due to a tight groin, but the Belgian is likely to be reintegrated for the weekend encounter as confirmed by the gaffer while speaking to Celtic TV, as cited on Celts Are Here.
Formation
A 4-2-3-1 formation has brought back balance in Celtic’s game, and the manager should field the Hoops in a similar pattern on Saturday afternoon.
Manager: Brendan Rodgers
Defence
Rodgers opted to replace veteran Craig Gordon with Scott Bain versus St. Mirren and is likely to hand the latter a run of games between the sticks. Dedryck Boyata might return to action in the heart of the Bhoys defensive line and partner Filip Benkovic who has been outstanding since joining on loan from Leicester City. Mikael Lustig would continue to operate from his usual right-back role even though his days are numbered at Parkhead. Veteran Emilio Izaguirre, the fans’ favourite left fullback, would keep his place versus the Accies in the absence of youngster Kieran Tierney.
Midfield
Skipper Scott Brown will keep his place in a deep-lying combative midfield role while versatile Callum McGregor should be deployed as a part of the double pivot to utilise his box-to-box movements and the ability to orchestrate the show from a central role.
James Forrest would be featuring on his preferred right wing role whereas in-form Scott Sinclair should retain his place on the other flank. Ryan Christie has been a revelation as a midfield attacker and should continue to impress with crucial games lined up next.
Attack
Although Odsonne Edouard is closing in on his full fitness, a brace against the Buddies must have cemented Oliver Burke’s starting place for the time being. Timothy Weah, the PSG loanee, has also found the net on back to back occasions after coming off the bench and is likely to be brought in at some stage of the game similar to the previous outings.
