Having clinched the domestic treble last season, it was perceived at the onset of this campaign that Scottish giants Celtic would attempt to erect a strong footing in the UEFA Champions League. However, the Celts were bulldozed by a 0-5 score line by Paris Saint-Germain at the Celtic Park in the midweek fixture during their first group outing. Their entry into the last sixteen looks gleam, considering that they have Bayern Munich and Anderlecht to lock horns against.
Coming back to their domestic commitments, this weekend, Celtic are due to host Ross County at their own backyard in their Scottish Premiership game. Brendan Rodgers would be looking forward to engineer a strong side for their upcoming outing to secure all three points and here is how we expect the Bhoys to line up against the Staggies.
Defence
Craig Gordon leaked as many as five goals in the Champions League fixture against the Ligue 1 giants PSG and thus, he would be itching to get a clean sheet under his belt in the upcoming outing. He should be handed the role of the custodian.
At the heart of the defence, we expect Jozo Simunovic and Kristoffer Ajer to be teed up to shield Gordon. Ajer is in his learning years and given the knack of the former Liverpool boss in operating with the young guns he has at his disposal, he is seemingly likely to give Ajer the license to thrive.
We expect Mikael Lustig to return back to his natural position on the right-back, having played as a centre-half against Unai Emery’s outfit whereas from the left-back position, we anticipate Kieran Tierney to showcase his exuberance and resilience.
Midfield
The defensive midfielder’s role is likely to be handed to Scott Brown and a lot would rely upon how well he manages to ply his trade against Jim McIntyre’s side. The right-wing is expected to be handed to Manchester City loanee Patrick Roberts in order to introduce a cutting edge in the final third.
The left flank should see Scott Sinclair being stationed therein to showcase his offensive prowess and the duo, comprising of Tom Rogic and Callum McGregor is anticipated to be pencilled in the central midfield sector to cultivate creativity and to unlock the defence of the opposition.
Attack
To spearhead the Hoops, Leigh Griffiths should start ahead of Odsonne Edouard. The Scottish international has smashed 5 goals and has registered 5 assists already and would be keen to add more to his tally.
This is how they might line up:
