A late heartbreak against mighty Bayer Leverkusen shattered the Europa League dreams of Celtic Football Club a couple of weeks ago. The Hoops are now demoted to the Conference league and the Glasgow outing against Real Betis on Thursday night is a dead rubber for both outfits. Ange Postecoglou, therefore, must avoid further injury woes having lost a few of his key figures already.
Betis, on the other hand, are enjoying an incredible run under Manuel Pellegrini both in Spain as well as Europe. They are currently third in the La Liga standings, also a thrilling 4-3 home win in the reverse tie turned out to be decisive en route to securing a place in the next round.
Predicted 4-3-3 Celtic Lineup To Face Real Betis
Defence
Joe Hart might undergo another busy night while protecting his side from conceding goals. But his presence between the sticks has restored stability after a dreadful 2020-21 campaign with Vasilis Barkas and Scott Bain in the last line of defence.
The Bhoys are unlikely to have Anthony Ralston and Stephen Welsh back from their respective fitness concerns. Josip Juranovic should retain his place as a right fullback, whereas Cameron Carter-Vickers and Carl Starfelt are expected to pair up once again in the heart of the backline. Greg Taylor’s return is a massive boost for Postecoglou who might bank on the young Scot down the left-hand side of a four-man backline.
Midfield
Celtic have quite a few quality options in the middle of the park. The leadership traits of Callum McGregor would be crucial in such a high-profile encounter and the Celts skipper is likely to operate as a deep-lying playmaker. Tom Rogic has been a revelation this season with his dribbling expertise, creativity and off the ball work rate, and the manager would expect more magic from the Aussie playmaker this midweek. David Turnbull must keep on impressing with his late runs inside the box, smart one-twos and link up football. Nir Bitton, James McCarthy and Ismaila Soro should stay patient and wait for their opportunities in the middle of the park.
Attack
The Hoops have a few injury absentees high up the pitch. Filipe Jota and Giorgos Giakoumakis remain sidelined, whereas James Forrest was taken off at the break last weekend with a tight hamstring. Liel Abada should start from the right and the flair of Mikey Johnston down the left might trouble the Betis defence. High-flying Kyogo Furuhashi must retain his place high up the pitch as the ‘number 9’.
