Reigning Premiership giants Celtic will be hoping to continue their good run of form in the league when they travel to the Paisley 2021 Stadium on Wednesday night. The clash between the Hoops and St. Mirren was scheduled to take place earlier on in the campaign, only for the Boli Bolingoli incident to get it postponed until now. The home side will be looking to get their first league win in more than a month with their last victory coming midway through August. Having lost their most recent fixture 3-0 against Hibernian, there’s every chance that Celtic hand them an absolute walloping this time around as well.
Celtic have been displaying a good run of form in recent weeks, and Neil Lennon’s men will undoubtedly be hoping to build on the blistering 5-0 victory against Ross County last weekend. Having now won three games on the trot in the league, the Parkhead players will certainly have their spirits up ahead of this midweek fixture. Currently sat six points behind leaders Rangers on the table, albeit with two games in hand, catching up to them will not be an easy task. That is, of course, given that the Hoops can maintain this level of form with a solid amount of consistency as well.
Team News
Shane Duffy made his debut for Celtic in the weekend win, and the Irish giant is expected to retain his place in the eleven. In terms of injuries, Lennon has been fairly fortunate so far this season, in that none of his regular starters have had any real issues. Highly-rated midfielder Tom Rogic is one of the few players in this Celtic team who are currently facing a spell out on the sidelines. Backup striker Leigh Griffiths is another one of the first-team names who is unlikely to play any part in this fixture.
Here Is The Predicted 3-1-4-2 Celtic Lineup Vs St. Mirren:
Predicted 3-1-4-2 Celtic Lineup Vs St. Mirren
Formation: 3-1-4-2
Defence
Greek keeper Vasilis Barkas was one of the players who was brought in during the summer transfer window this season. Despite the odd moment of insecurity, the former Athens man has been solid in between the sticks for the most part. In front of him as well, expect a summer signing to start in the form of Irish centre-half Shane Duffy. With the Brighton loanee’s arrival, Lennon now has the option of moving to a back three, which is exactly what he is expected to do for this tie. Duffy could be partnered up by Kristoffer Ajer and Christopher Jullien on either side.
Midfield
Veteran midfielder Scott Brown is likely to start this game as the lone midfield pivot in front of a big and physically dominant three-man back-line. The skipper shoulders a large amount of the responsibility of picking the ball up from the back and spreading it forward. Often seen slotting into the defence itself when under pressure, the Scot’s ability to read the play and be at the right place at the right time cannot be underplayed. Brown, as involved as he will be in proceedings, wouldn’t need to charge forward from his role unless absolutely necessary.
Attack
What Neil Lennon has achieved with his new formation is to discover a way to bring the creative best out of his most dangerous players. This lineup sees a four-man attack-line being deployed behind the two main strikers. Full-back Jeremie Frimpong and Callum McGregor are likely to operate in the wide roles with James Forrest and Olivier Ntcham are expected to provide direct support to the forwards. Lennon could opt to stick with a two-man strike-force for this outing, with Albian Ajeti and Odsonne Edouard expected to continue leading the Celtic line.
