After having their weekend off following the postponement of their fixture against Dundee due to Storm Éowyn, Celtic will travel south of the border to lock horns with Aston Villa for their final Champions League group phase encounter. A win at Villa Park could earn either of them a ‘top eight’ finish thus avoiding knockout phase play-offs in February.
The Villans, currently eighth in the Premier League standings, looked fatigued on Sunday evening during a 1-1 home draw with West Ham United. They lost against Monaco in their previous Champions League encounter and the gaffer Unai Emery must demand a reaction from his men while hosting the Hoops on Wednesday night.
Predicted 4-3-3 Celtic Lineup To Face Aston Villa
Defence
Veteran Kasper Schmeichel pulled off some crucial saves en route to Celtic’s 1-0 win versus Young Boys. But the big Dane must exhibit his excellence once again against the likes of John Duran and Ollie Watkins.
The Bhoys have a stable defence with able alternatives across the backline. Alistair Johnston has been the preferred choice over Anthony Ralston down the right, also, Greg Taylor should keep his place on the left ahead of young Barcelona loanee Alex Valle. The USMNT duo Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty are expected to feature as the first-team pair with Liam Scales and Maik Nawrocki tipped to continue as their understudy in central defence.
Midfield
Celtic have ample options in the middle of the park, but the ‘number 6’ spot belongs to skipper Callum McGregor given his experience and expertise as a deep-lying playmaker. The Scotsman must depict his vision, technicality and creative spark while operating from the base of their midfield setup.
Brendan Rodgers has rotated Arne Engels and Reo Hatate with Paulo Bernardo and Luke McCowan for the ‘number 8’ roles. Despite failing to convert from the spot against Young Boys, Engels has added flair and finesse since replacing Matt O’Riley in the summer. Hatate, on the other hand, offers a high work ethic in the centre of the pitch. Engels and Hatate are likely to get the nod against the Premier League hotshots.
Attack
The departure of Kyogo Furuhashi leaves Celtic with Adam Idah as the only senior centre-forward available for the Villa game. Daizen Maeda received a marching order against the Swiss side, and therefore, will miss the Villa tie. Hyun-Jun Yang might replace the Japanese wideman down the left, however, the right-wing slot is now owned by Nicolas Kuhn who has been a revelation since his Parkhead move a year ago.
