With goals required tonight against Nomme Kalju, it should be time for Neil Lennon to give Celtic’s top striking duo their chance together.
It’s fair to say that tonight’s Champions League second round qualification match leaves the onus on us. Kalju will likely park the bus and look to hit on the counter. It’ll, therefore, be down to the Hoops to turn on the style and break the Estonians down.
Kalju showed for long periods against Shkendija that they can soak up the pressure and be stubborn in the face of it. Both of Shkendija’s goals against them were penalties. So that proves that they have experience and success in trying to defend a tie.
That’s exactly what they’ll try to do at Parkhead tonight, and Lennon must adjust appropriately. What that means is that it’s now finally time to see Odonne Edouard and Leigh Griffiths paired together.
The duo are both match-fit and looking hungry to provide goals. But their differing styles could help Celtic break down Kalju in a more straight-forward fashion than we managed against Sarajevo last week.
Edouard is consistently looking to drop deep and get the ball to feet. Griff, meanwhile, is always looking to get in behind and stretch defences. It’s the perfect combination to try and break up that Kalju back-line and find openings. It’ll be down to Edouard, Griffiths, or both to open the defence up in order for the likes of Ryan Christie and Callum McGregor to burst into space in the final third.
Striking duo reduces risk of frustrating evening
The last thing we need tonight at Parkhead is a frustrating opening half-hour. Getting in Nomme’s faces from the start and pushing two up top with the style of Eddy and Griff gives us the best chance of making them crack early doors.
The problem? Lennon hasn’t shown any sign that he’s ready to play both men as it stands. He’s barely touched on it in the past, and has continued the Brendan Rodgers lone-striker system since returning.
We only have Vakoun Issouf Bayo as a back-up to Griffiths and Edouard. Considering he’s still working his way back up to full-fitness, Lennon would likely want to avoid unnecessary risks on his top two forwards.
But tonight is the necessary time to take a risk. Taking a 1-0 or even 2-0 lead over to Estonia could prove to be tricky business. We’re hardly the masters of away-day results in Europe. So it’s vital we score as many goals as possible tonight to help us ease through to the third qualifying round.
The best way to do that is with Griffiths and Edouard up top. We showed last week just how frustrating things can get playing the lone striker against a side who park the bus. Tonight, it’s time to try something different, but don’t bank on it happening.
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