Celtic were going from strength to strength with RB Leipzig on Wednesday night until the howler from Joe Hart cost them a result in Germany. But the show must go on even though things have not gone right of late across competitions. The players need to regroup themselves for their weekend encounter against St. Johnstone.
Celtic will travel to McDiarmid Park in an attempt to maintain their lead over Rangers at the zenith of the Premiership standings. The Saints, on the other hand, are undergoing a difficult run under Callum Davidson. They narrowly escaped a relegation last season and the gaffer, therefore, must demand more from his men, particularly after a dreadful midweek defeat against Kilmarnock.
Predicted 4-3-3 Celtic Lineup To Face St. Johnstone
Defence
Joe Hart made a ridiculous mistake that allowed Leipzig to restore their lead midway through the second half. The veteran Englishman has not been at his best of late, but the Aussie boss is expected to rely on him once again despite having Benjamin Siegrist and Scott Bain as the understudy to the former Three Lions ‘number 1’.
Cameron Carter-Vickers failed to recover in time for the Leipzig clash. The uncertainty over his fitness could see Stephen Welsh and Moritz Jenz retaining their roles in the heart of the backline. Josip Juranovic needs to concentrate more on his defensive responsibilities, whereas Greg Taylor should offer more in the attacking third while making overlapping runs from the left-hand flank. Anthony Ralston and Alexandro Bernabei might replace the preferred fullback pair unless they improve their performance on Saturday lunchtime.
Midfield
Callum McGregor is suspended after receiving marching orders against Motherwell in the previous gameweek. Oliver Abildgaard made a decent impact versus Leipzig after coming on as a first-half substitute replacing their injured skipper and the manager is likely to rely on the big Dane from the start, given his expertise as a deep-lying playmaker. Reo Hatate and Matt O’Riley must deliver as ‘number 8s’ in order to cement their starting status ahead of Aaron Mooy, David Turnbull and James McCarthy.
Attack
Liel Abada was not involved in their Champions League clash for Yom Kippur. However, the in-form Israel international should return to action for the Saints contest. Filipe Jota is irreplicable down the left and the poaching attribute of Kyogo Furuhashi would cause menace in the hosts’ defence. Giorgos Giakoumakis, Daizen Maeda, Sead Haksabanovic and James Forrest might get involved at some stage in the second half.
