Celtic begin the defence of another trophy in Ayrshire this afternoon, taking on Derek McInnes’ Kilmarnock side in the Scottish League Cup.
As last season’s treble winners, the Bhoys are the side to gun for in every domestic competition this term and the Rugby Park outfit will be desperate to land a cup upset today.
Having already beaten Rangers this season, Killie are a dangerous opponent on their artificial home turf and could prove difficult to break down across the 90 minutes. A strong performance from the holders is needed.
With injury concerns and big selection calls to make, what kind of team will Brendan Rodgers go for to protect his perfect Celtic cup record? Here’s our best go at today’s eleven based on the information available…
Unless Rodgers is instituting a cup goalkeeper policy this season, it seems likely that Joe Hart will again be given the nod between the sticks. The manager knows that Hart is still adapting to slight changes in approach since he returned to the club and more time familiarising himself with a new defensive pairing seems sensible. It’s not the time for shot-stopper rotation with some massive matches ahead where organisation will be key.
In defence, both Cameron Carter-Vickers and Stephen Welsh have been ruled out with injuries, so the most likely central defensive duo will be new Bhoys Maik Nawrocki and Gustaf Lagerbielke. Nawrocki impressed at Pittodrie last week while Lagerbielke is fully match fit having played 16 matches for Elfsborg in Sweden since April. It’s an untested pairing and Lagerbielke is making a tricky debut, but hopes will be high they can come through the fixture without issue.
Alistair Johnston has returned to full Celtic training this week but this afternoon’s match looks to be soon for a start after a lengthy layoff from surgery. There’s a chance he could feature off the bench but with artificial pitches hardly being conducive to injury returns, it’s more likely we see him against St Johnstone next weekend. That leaves Anthony Ralston as the right flank starter with Greg Taylor likely to get the nod on the opposite side against his old team.
Celtic’s injury problems continue in midfield with Reo Hatate not featuring today after limping off at Pittodrie with a calf complaint last weekend. Callum McGregor and Matt O’Riley seem destined to start but the other central position is up for grabs.
David Turnbull didn’t impress at all against the Dons, so it could be a day to give Odin Thiago Holm his first competitive start for the club. Holm really caught the eye coming off the bench in Aberdeen and fans are eager to see more. Better to do it today than with three points on the line.
Today may well have been a day to give Hyeongyu Oh a chance had he not picked up a calf injury of his own in pre-season. With the South Korean expected to be out for a number of weeks, Kyogo Furuhashi is the prime pick through the middle. Rotation isn’t really a luxury right now and the Bhoys are thankfully not yet playing mid-week fixtures, so fatigue isn’t much of an issue.
Daizen Maeda and Liel Abada are strong contenders to feature on the wings in support of Kyogo, though after last week’s cameo, supporters will be keen to see more of Hyunjun Yang too.
Your predicted XI in full is: Hart, Ralston, Lagerbielke, Nawrocki, Taylor, McGregor, Holm, O’Riley, Abada, Maeda, Kyogo.
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