Premiership giants Celtic will be looking to keep up with the pace being set by Rangers at the top of the Premiership table when they take on Livingston this weekend. The champions are set to welcome Livi on the back of a hard-fought comeback victory against St.Mirren in midweek, where they were perhaps unfortunate to have found the net just twice. Despite going a goal down in the early stages of the fixture, the Celts never dropped their tempo and were eventually able to retake the lead before the half-time whistle had gone.
With just one extra fixture played by Rangers, Neil Lennon’s men find themselves three points behind their Old Firm rivals on the league table. Although it will surely be an issue that the Celts would want to address, the form being displayed by Steven Gerrard’s side is sure to come as a challenge. The Ibrox club are yet to concede a single goal in the league so far, while there have been various moments where the Celts have looked defensively fragile. Moreover, with Hibernian hot on their tail as well, Celtic can ill-afford to drop any more points in the upcoming weeks.
Team News
The Celts first-team roster doesn’t have too many injury concerns to deal with right now, and this has undoubtedly come as a huge blessing to Neil Lennon’s plans for the season. With the likes of Odsonne Edouard and Shane Duffy now available for selection, the manager will have a full-strength group to make his selection from. Having rested some key names like Jeremie Frimpong and Mohamed Elyounoussi for the midweek fixture, expect Lennon to ring in the changes when Livi visit Parkhead on the weekend.
Here Is The Predicted 4-2-3-1 Celtic Lineup Vs Livingston:
Predicted 4-2-3-1 Celtic Lineup Vs Livingston
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Defence
The services of Greek stopper Vasilis Barkas were barely required in the win against St.Mirren, as they offered very little dynamism and creativity going forward. Expect the summer signing to retain his place in between the sticks for this exciting clash. In front of him, the centre-half pairing of Kristoffer Ajer and Shane Duffy is likely to continue, as they provide a good balance of energy and experience. Jeremie Frimpong was an 80th-minute substitute in midweek, which means that he could return to the eleven, with Greg Taylor keeping his place on the other side.
Midfield
Scott Brown and Callum McGregor are the two players who will form the Celtic midfield, as they provide Neil Lennon’s side with the creativity as well as physicality required at this level. The skipper tends to sit just in front of the two centre-halves providing a constant passing option, while also being capable of slotting into the gap in between them when required to. McGregor, on the other hand, is without a doubt, this Celtic team’s driving force. Not only does he pass the ball around well, but the Scot tends to be the catalyst of most Celtic attacks.
Attack
French striker Odsonne Edouard is expected to continue leading the line for Neil Lennon’s side as they look to catch up to Rangers on the table. Having missed a penalty against St.Mirren, Edouard will be eager to make up for it by finding the net. Mohamed Elyounoussi was an unused substitute in the midfield game, and could hence be brought back into the side. Patryk Klimala could be the man that drops onto the bench in his stead, which means that the dynamic duo of Ryan Christie and James Forrest are likely to form the rest of the front-line.
