Celtic were fearless and resilient against Real Madrid during the first half, but the champions of Europe activated the next gear to hand the Hoops their first defeat of the 2022-23 season. Their weekend clash against Livingston was called off due to the Queen’s death and the players, therefore, got a few extra days to regroup themselves ahead of locking horns with Shakhtar Donetsk in their upcoming Champions League encounter.
The Russia-Ukraine war forced the Ukrainian outfit to play home games at the Polish Army Stadium. However, they are already in the driver’s seat by defeating the mighty RB Leipzig in Germany. As things stand, Celtic must prepare themselves for another stern challenge on Wednesday night even though the game will take place in a neutral stadium.
Predicted 4-3-3 Celtic Lineup To Face Shakhtar Donetsk
Defence
Joe Hart conceded thrice against Los Blancos after an array of clean sheets in the Premiership. He is likely to be tested frequently this midweek against the free-flowing Miners.
Carl Starfelt is ruled out for the next few days with a knee injury. Summer signing Moritz Jenz should retain his place in deep defence in the absence of the Swedish centre-half and continue to partner with Cameron Carter-Vickers in the heart of the backline. Both Josip Juranovic and Greg Taylor have shown stability and composure down the wide and are expected to continue as the fullbacks ahead of Anthony Ralston and Alexandro Bernabei.
Midfield
Yosuke Ideguchi continues to be sidelined with never-ending injury misfortune, but gaffer Ange Postecoglou is still blessed with ample midfield options. Skipper Callum McGregor should pull the strings from his deep-lying playmaking role. His vision, distribution and game-reading attributes would benefit both Reo Hatate and Matt O’Riley who are likely to occupy the ‘number 8’ roles. The pair must carry the ball from the deep and operate in the advanced areas with box-to-box runs. Veteran Aaron Mooy and David Turnbull could be deployed at some stage in the second half.
Attack
Kyogo Furuhashi has recovered from a shoulder strain picked up against Rangers. He played a cameo versus Real Madrid but is tipped to reclaim the first-team status replacing Giorgos Giakoumakis. Liel Abada is enjoying a blistering form and his presence down the right might cause menace in the Shakhtar defence. Filipe Jota should feature from the left and the likes of Daizen Maeda, James Forrest and Sead Hakšabanović could be introduced from the bench if the situation demands their involvement.
