Brendan Rodgers deployed a surprise lineup against Aberdeen in their penultimate Premiership fixture of the season. But he is expected to rely on his first-team stars while hosting St Mirren at Celtic Park, as the Hoops will officially lift their 55th league silverware on Saturday afternoon, having clinched the crown mathematically a couple of weeks back.
Meanwhile, the sporadic Celtic stars grabbed an exquisite 5-1 win at Pittodrie on Wednesday night. They will meet again later this month in the Scottish Cup final, and the gaffer might undergo a selection dilemma at Hampden Park. He must field with a strong XI against the Buddies, but should opt for second-half rotation to keep the Bhoys fit and fresh to secure a domestic treble on 24th May.
Predicted 4-3-3 Celtic Lineup To Face St Mirren
Defence
Despite Kasper Schmeichel’s availability, Rodgers restored Viljami Sinisalo between the sticks for the Aberdeen clash. He could keep his place this weekend with the veteran Dane likely to return for the Scottish Cup showdown.
Fit-again Alistair Johnston might grab a start down the right after coming on as a second-half substitute for Anthony Ralston. Left fullback Jeffrey Schlupp could make way for Greg Taylor, and the manager hopes to have Cameron Carter-Vickers back in the heart of the backline. Liam Scales must get the nod ahead of Auston Trusty and Maik Nawrocki, even though the latter broke the deadlock in the midweek encounter.
Midfield
Skipper Callum McGregor should operate from the base as a deep-lying playmaker. However, the Scotsman could be rotated with Paulo Bernardo in the second half. Arne Engels was handed a much-needed rest, but should reclaim his ‘number 8’ spot, replacing Bernardo. Despite scoring once and setting up two more goals, Luke McCowan might be dropped in favour of Reo Hatate in the middle of the park.
Attack
With Jota sidelined for months with a ruptured ACL, Johnny Kenny is making his opportunities count as a ‘number 9’. The Irishman fired in against Jimmy Thelin’s men, yet he could be replaced with compatriot Adam Idah, who has emerged as the preferred ‘number 9’ in recent weeks. Jota’s absence has forced Daizen Maeda to shift down the left, and the Japanese hitman, who missed the Aberdeen trip with a ‘little niggle‘, should return to action if declared fit for the St Mirren game. Nicolas Kuhn is expected to feature on the right ahead of James Forrest. Forrest, as well as Hyun-Jun Yang, would be involved as ‘super subs’ after making their presence known with an assist and a goal, respectively, on Wednesday.
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