Jeremy Toljan vs Daryl Horgan is a battle many supporters will perhaps chuckle and shake their heads at.
After all, there’s no guarantee the Hibs man will even start at Parkhead tomorrow night. There’s also the fact that he wasn’t even in their squad for their 2-1 loss to Aberdeen last weekend.
Meanwhile, Toljan seriously looked the part in his 45-minute debut at St Johnstone. He got beyond Scott Tanser on several occasions, and provided Oliver Burke with a good chance to open the scoring.
Yet, where Toljan was barely tested was in his one-v-one defending. Saints weren’t keen on providing an overlap on Sunday, with Matthew Kennedy not providing much flair going forward either.
But, tomorrow night, if Horgan is selected, then he will prove to be a challenge with his pace and directness.
A pacey, counter-attacking style that’s proved difficult to combat
Hibs so often like to play a quick, counter-attacking game against Celtic. They like to use the explosiveness of the likes of Martin Boyle and Horgan to bomb forward down the flanks. Of course, it remains to be see if Eddie May adopts the same approach.
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But, looking back to the 2-0 defeat at Easter Road back in December – Kristoffer Ajer was absolutely burned by Horgan. The left-winger’s energy was far too much for Ajer to deal with on the day. He consistently got caught out, and a lot of Hibs’ chances came from crosses down the left.
This is exactly what Toljan will be tasked in stopping. If Hibs approach matches against Celtic in the same manner they did under Neil Lennon, Celtic’s new right-back will be worked defensively.
This would also be good for all concerned. Celtic fans need to start seeing what Toljan is all about on the back-foot. Getting forward and crossing into the box is just one part of what a Celtic full-back is all about.
Horgan will provide him with a timely first test ahead of a crucial period of the season if he features. If Toljan comes out flying once again, Hoops fans will have even more reasons to be cheerful.