Celtic have the chance to go ten points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership table this afternoon with a trip to Hibernian.
The Bhoys play 24 hours ahead of second-placed Rangers and will be keen to not only maintain their unbeaten league record but pick up another confident three points in Edinburgh after last week’s drubbing of Hearts.
It’s been a gruelling week for Brendan Rodgers’ side. Wednesday night’s match against Atletico Madrid sapped the energy of the players and the manager confirmed in his pre-match press conference he will be rotating the team throughout this busy period ahead of the next international break.
However, whether we see that rotation today or mid-week at home to St Mirren is unclear. The Buddies could well provide a stiffer test than Hibs, but backing up European games with an away fixture is never easy.
We already know that Reo Hatate is missing with a hamstring injury but Rodgers otherwise has a strong squad to choose from with no other injuries reported ahead of travelling to the capital.
So what eleven will we see? Here’s our best go at today’s team.
Celtic predicted team vs Hibs
Joe Hart will continue in goal and despite the return of Maik Nawrocki, Liam Scales is a good bet to retain his place in the team alongside Cameron Carter-Vickers. Likewise, Alistair Johnston and Greg Taylor should start making it an unchanged back four.
In midfield, Hatate’s absence offers a big chance to Paulo Bernardo, David Turnbull or Odin Thiago Holm. Given he was the preferred option midweek, Bernardo looks good to make his first-ever start for the club alongside the in-form Matt O’Riley and ever-reliable Callum McGregor.
Up front, we could see Hyunjun Yang or James Forrest come in to refresh a hard-working attack. However, if everyone has come through training well after Atletico then our strongest front three right now – Luis Palma, Daizen Maeda and Kyogo Furuhashi – should be in place.
Your predicted XI in full is: Hart, Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Taylor, McGregor, Bernardo, O’Riley, Maeda, Palma, Kyogo.
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