The Celtic starting XI to face Jablonec in the Czech Republic has been announced, as per the official UEFA website.
The team reads as follows:
Starting XI: Hart, Ralston, Bitton, Starfelt, Taylor, Soro, Turnbull, McGregor, Abada, Forrest, Furuhashi
Subs: Barkas, Bain, Ajeti, Christie, Rogic, Edouard, Urhoghide, Robertson, Murray, Montgomery, Welsh
The big news here is undoubtedly the debut for new Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart. It won’t come as a surprise to many given he was rushed to join up with his new teammates after only signing on Tuesday. All eyes will be on how he performs.
Elsewhere, Odsonne Edouard has been dropped in another big call from Ange Postecoglou. Kyogo Furuhashi comes into the team, with James Forrest and Liel Abada playing up with him. It remains to be seen how that looks in terms of the formation. A 4-3-3 looks likely at face value.
Stephen Welsh has also been dropped to bring in Nir Bitton, who’ll partner Carl Starfelt.
Looking across the board, this is probably our strongest XI available to the club at the moment. Outside of James McCarthy, who’s been left to build up his fitness back in Glasgow, there can be no complaints.
Hopefully the Bhoys can put us in a fine position heading into the second leg.
Broadcast Details
In a massive boost for UK and Ireland-based supporters, the game will be shown live on the BBC Scotland channel. Alternatively, the game can be watched on BBC iPlayer or the BBC Sport website.
For Celtic TV subscribers outside of the UK, Republic of Ireland, and Czech Republic, the game will be shown live on the streaming platform. Live coverage starts at 3:45pm, with a 4:45pm kickoff [Celtic Park Time].
For supporters based in the Czech Republic, the game is being shown on channel ČT2.
Alternatively, you can follow live text coverage of the game on the BBC Scotland website.
Fan reaction to Celtic team vs Jablonec
As you would expect, there’s plenty of excitement over the debut appearance of Hart. Given the problems we’ve had in the goalkeeping department, that’s hardly a shock.
Outside of that, there’s a massive chance for Furuhashi to make his name in a Celtic jersey tonight. An exciting frontline of him, Forrest, and Abada gives fans something to look forward to outside of the norm.
There’s undoubtedly some excitement as the manager looks to shake things up a bit. However, there is also some concern with Bitton continuing to be selected when available.
The supporters, as always, have taken to Twitter to give their thoughts on tonight’s starting XI:
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