Reigning Premiership champions Celtic will be looking to get their 20/21 league campaign off to the right start when they welcome Hamilton to Celtic Park on Sunday afternoon. The Hoops will be looking to secure their tenth straight league title at the end of the season, and commencing the campaign in a positive manner could have a real impact on the morale and ambitions of the entire squad. Neil Lennon’s side haven’t had the best of pre-season this time around either.
Despite winning their two most recent figures against Ross County and Hibernian, the Celts’ three matches prior to that were definitely ones to forget. Having started the tour to France with 1-1 draw against Nice, the Hoops’ next two fixtures saw them face off against Ligue 1 behemoths Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain. They lost 2-1 to Lyon, before getting absolutely battered 4-0 by a full-strength PSG side later that week as well. The last meeting between these two sides ended with a resounding 4-1 scoreline, in a fixture where Odsonne Edouard bagged a brace for the Bhoys.
Team News
Fortunately for Neil Lennon’s side, the Celts don’t have any major injury concerns to deal with at this point, which means that the gaffer will be able to field a full-strength team. Although there could still be some chopping and changing being done in the background, it’s unlikely that there will be too many drastic alterations. As of now, Scott Bain remains the Celts’ only shot-stopper, and even if they do sign an alternative in the time between now and Sunday, it’s unlikely the player will be ready in time for this fixture.
Here Is The Predicted 4-3-3 Celtic Lineup Vs Hamilton:
Predicted 4-3-3 Celtic Lineup Vs Hamilton
Formation: 4-3-3
Defence
With Scott Bain remaining as the only realistic option that Neil Lennon currently has to choose from, expect the 28-year-old to retain his place in between the sticks, at least in the short term. In front of him, the regular centre-half pairing of Christopher Jullien and Kristoffer Ajer are set to operate as the two primary centre-halves. Greg Taylor is set to keep his place as one of the full-backs, with prodigious speedster Jeremie Frimpong expected to be deployed by Lennon on the other flank.
Midfield
Scott Brown’s vision and passing ability are of utmost importance to this Celtic team, and taking his presence out of the engine room is sure to have dire consequences. Neil Lennon must be aware of the veteran’s importance, which means that the skipper is likely to continue as the lone anchor. Callum McGregor and James Forrest are expected to continue alongside him, from where they will be responsible for opening up spaces for the attacking players in the Celtic roster to run into.
Attack
Mohamed Elyounoussi has joined Celtic on another season-long loan from Southampton, much to the delight of the fans and staff alike. The trickster offers good variety in the final third, in that he can strike a ball just in addition to his passing abilities. He should be partnered on the other flank by Ryan Christie, with Odsonne Edouard expected to start the tie as the lone number nine. The Frenchman will need to be a lot more influential than he has been in recent weeks if the Hoops hope to get a positive result out of this tie.
