Reigning Premiership champions Celtic will be looking to pick up three wins across all competitions for the first time in a long while when they take on Hearts in the final of the Scottish Cup. Some fans will surely be wondering why a cup final is taking place in the middle of December, and the answer to that question is that this is actually the final to last season’s edition of the Scottish Cup. The quarterfinals of the competition were conducted back in March 2020, after which the COVID-19 situation brought football in Scotland to a halt.
This meant that the semifinals and finals of the tournament were to be played once football restarted, and the latter has been scheduled for this weekend. The Hoops got here by beating Aberdeen by a 2-0 scoreline in the semifinal, in a fixture that took place on the first day of November. Celtic’s form over the last couple of months has been dismal to say the least, but they have managed to pick up wins in both of their last two fixtures, with the most impressive one of the lot coming in the 3-2 beating of Ligue 1 giants Lille.
Team News
One of the biggest talking points surrounding Celtic over the last couple of fixtures has been Neil Lennon’s team selection. The midweek game saw the manager handing unexpected starts to both Ismaila Soro and David Turnbull, and it must be conceded that the risk paid off. Nir Bitton was completely left out of the roster against Kilmarnock, and could miss out on this fixture as well. James Forrest remains sidelined with the same issue that has kept him out for the last couple of months.
Here Is The Predicted 3-4-2-1 Celtic Lineup Vs Hearts:
Predicted 3-4-2-1 Celtic Lineup Vs Hearts
Defence
Despite the presence of Scott Bain, as well as summer signing Vasilis Barkas, Neil Lennon has been left in a sensitive position in terms of goalkeepers. The last couple of fixtures have seen young Conor Hazard being given the nod in between the sticks, and that trend should continue into this outing as well. In front of him, Lennon could opt to stick with the same back-three that managed to keep an important clean sheet in the win against Killie. Shane Duffy comes back into the eleven, alongside the usual pairing of Kristoffer Ajer and Christopher Jullien.
Midfield
The engine room has been one of the problem positions for Neil Lennon’s men since the start of the season, but the recent changes that have been made by the manager have reinvigorated the core of this Celtic eleven. Scott Brown is expected to remain on the bench, with Ismaila Soro taking his place alongside Callum McGregor as the two-man pivot. With a three-man back-line behind them, Lennon should also deploy two wing-backs through this team. Jeremie Frimpong is expected to continue operating on the right side, with Greg Taylor expected to be replaced by Diego Laxalt over on the left.
Attack
The attack-line is another part of the pitch where Neil Lennon does have the option to make some changes. However, considering that the players on the bench have all been out of form, there’s every chance that he sticks with the same front-three that did the job in midweek. Odsonne Edouard has been far from his best since the start of the current campaign, but he’s still expected to keep his place in the team. Mohamed Elyounoussi’s drive and creativity are crucial to most of Celtic’s attacking play, and that is likely to be the case for this match too. David Turnbull could start alongside the Norwegian in the other attacking-midfield role.
