Celtic travel to Glasgow’s southside tonight for their second pre-season friendly against Queens Park at The city Stadium, otherwise known as Lesser Hampden.
Last week, the Bhoys kicked off the new campaign with a 1-1 draw away to Ayr United. Brendan Rodgers wanted to rotate the squad, using no fewer than 23 players in Ayrshire.
While Celtic supporters await confirmation on new arrivals, big hitters such as Matt O’Riley, Reo Hatate, Luis Palma and Daizen Maeda have all reported back to Lennoxtown for training.
In a rare phenomenon, the Hoops will take part in their second preparatory fixture on home soil before all focus turns to their three-match tour of the United States.
Unfortunately, there won’t be any away fans present at tonight’s match, meaning the only way to catch all the action is via Celtic TV.
Celtic Predicted XI vs Queens Park
Admittedly, predicting who may start this one for Celtic is a little difficult due to the likely rotation Rodgers will enact to ensure his squad gain match sharpness. Either way, we’ll give it a good go, so lets get stuck in.
Following his appearance from the start against Ayr United last Friday, Scott Bain will retain his place between the sticks for the trip across the city. The Bhoys are yet to sign a new goalkeeper, making him the obvious choice. Expect Tobi Oluwayemi or Josh Clarke to also be given minutes at some point.
Again, right-back is a difficult one to call, but I’d expect Josh Dede to be given a runout at The city Stadium following his involvement at Somerset Park.
Completing the back four, Stephen Welsh could make another appearance in central defence. Maik Nawrocki was injured in Ayrshire, which prompts me to think that Dane Murray will feature in place of the 23-year-old. Mitchel Frame could be given a chance to stake a claim on the left side of the rearguard.
Tomoki Iwata will slot into midfield once again and could form a triple axis with Odin Thiago Holm and Bosun Lawal from the beginning, with the latter showing his skill and athleticism last week in a second-half cameo.
Hyeokkyu Kwon may miss out; however, he will gain some minutes from the bench alongside a plethora of youngsters vying for spots on the plane to the USA. Nicolas Kuhn and Hyunjun Yang will start on the flanks, providing the foil for centre-forward Kyogo Furuhashi, who has already opened his account for the season from the spot.
Rotation will be essential for Rodgers to evaluate internal assets up close. Despite high-profile players returning to Lennoxtown, they may be given a rest to prepare for the journey Stateside.
Your predicted XI in full is: Bain, Dede, Welsh, Murray, Frame, Iwata, Lawal, Holm, Kuhn, Yang, Kyogo.
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