Manager Ange Postecoglou has confirmed his Celtic team vs Rangers for today’s Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden.
The full match squad is as follows:
Starting XI – Hart, Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Starfelt, Taylor, McGregor, Hatate, O’Riley, Jota, Maeda, Kyogo.
Substitutes – Bain, Haksabanovic, Mooy, Turnbull, Kobayashi, Oh, Iwata, Ralston, Vata.
Today’s fixture is obviously a huge occasion. With a Scottish League Cup in the bag and a Scottish Premiership title on the way, this afternoon is one of the main barriers against Celtic winning a treble of trophies this season.
The good news is that Jota and Reo Hatate have returned to the lineup after missing recent matches. That is a huge boost to the Bhoys given both have performed excellently in the derby previously. Elsewhere, Matt O’Riley has been trusted in the midfield ahead of Tomoki Iwata. The rest of the team is as expected based on fitness and form.
Meanwhile, Michael Beale has lined up his Rangers team with McGregor, Tavernier, Goldson, Davies, Barisic, Lundstram, Raskin, Cantwell, Tillman, Kent and Morelos.
Broadcast details
Today’s match is live on Viaplay Sports 1 in the UK and programme coverage has already begun ahead of the 1:30 pm kick-off.
Celtic TV are also broadcasting the fixture to overseas subscribers outside of the UK & Ireland.
As you can imagine, the game is also being shown on many channels around the world including beIN Sports in Australia and ESPN+ in the United States. A full list of global broadcasters can be found via LiveSoccerTV.
BBC Radio Scotland will also be providing live audio commentary across their platforms.
Instant verdict on Celtic team vs Rangers
Everyone will be delighted to see both Hatate and Jota back in the team. They were the big concerns in the weeks leading up to this one and it seems Postecoglou has timed their recovery perfectly.
Hatate’s form since the World Cup has been particularly special and it has been apparent in recent fixtures that our midfield truly misses his presence when he isn’t available. He offers a killer edge in the opposition half and has built up an excellent rapport with his teammates.
It also means we have Iwata fresh and ready to make an impact off the bench, alongside other potential game-changers such as Hyeongyu Oh and Sead Haksabanovic. The eleven and the substitutes are very strong today. This is a team more than capable of winning this fixture and it’s time to get the job done.
In other news, Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou brilliantly dismisses the latest bizarre outburst from Rangers.
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