Celtic are in action across the Irish Sea tonight as they take on Sligo Rovers at the Showgrounds in a friendly encounter.
With the Bhoys fresh from a late triumph at Ross County, there is expected to be mass change to Brendan Rodgers’ XI as he prepares his side to face Aberdeen on the other side of the international break.
Confirming he will be in charge against League of Ireland opposition, Rodgers revealed details of Celtic’s plan in Sligo for the sold-out fixture, stating his side will comprise a blend of youth and experience on the night.
He stated: “I’ll be there. I’ll be taking the team. That plan was in place a few months back. We’ll need to recover some players. But there’s going to be a number of players that need games.
“So it’ll be a mixture of our first team players in the squad and also some of our young players because it’s my chance to see them.”
Without further ado, let’s take a look at who could feature for Celtic against Sligo Rovers in what is set to be an exciting occasion for supporters based in the Emerald Isle.
Potential Celtic XI against Sligo Rovers
In the face of an international break and the need for some players to stay home and recover after Celtic’s fixture run, it is anyone’s guess who could start in Sligo, but we’ll give it a good go.
Starting off, Scott Bain will be handed the gloves and will be joined by a central defensive pairing of Maik Nawrocki and Stephen Welsh, who are in need of game time after having little chance to make an impression this term.
Flanking them on either side, Lenny Agbaire will get the nod alongside Adam Montgomery. The former is included due to a lack of natural right-sided options brought on by international call-ups elsewhere.
Comprising the three-man midfield, Luke McCowan will be handed his first start since becoming the last of Celtic’s eight summer signings late on deadline day.
Rarely seen Odin Thiago Holm will be given a chance to impress alongside the Scot. Meanwhile, Francis Turley completes the engine room with Northern Ireland’s Under-19 squad not in action until next month.
Again, there may be many mitigating factors to this potential XI. Still, Daniel Cummings earns the chance to lead the line for Celtic amid 12 goals in 12 appearances for the B Team, with Hyunjun Yang and Luis Palma on either side of him seeking to capitalise on an opportunity to shine.
On an exciting evening in the north west of Ireland. Hopefully, the occasion can live up to expectation and Celtic can continue their strong early-season form.
Your predicted XI in full is as follows: Bain, Agbaire, Welsh, Nawrocki, Montgomery, McCowan, Holm, Turley, Yang, Palma, Cummings.
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