Celtic have announced their official starting line-up to face Motherwell at Parkhead in a huge Scottish Premiership clash this afternoon, via the club’s official Twitter.
The full match squad is as follows:
Starting XI: Barkas, Elhamed, Jullien, Ajer, Taylor, Forrest, Brown, McGregor, Ntcham, Elyounoussi, Christie
Subs: Bain, Bitton, Ajeti, Klimala, Soro, Turnbull, Frimpong, Harper, McInroy
Undoubtedly, the biggest talking point is the fact that Neil Lennon has once again gone with zero strikers.
Christie, who started and scored against Ferencvaros, appears to have taken his place up top once again. And yet again, it’s left Albian Ajeti and Patryk Klimala on the bench.
Another interesting aspect is that new Bhoy David Turnbull starts on the bench. Lennon has gone with the same midfield that played against the Hungarians in midweek. All eyes will be on whether Turnbull makes his debut at some stage.
There aren’t any shocks elsewhere on the teamsheet. Jeremie Frimpong being on the bench once again is perhaps a slight surprise considering he has been a constant domestically. But you would expect him to feature at some stage.
Broadcast Details
This afternoon’s contest is live on the “Pass to Paradise” stream system available to season-ticket holders. The game is also available to watch for all Celtic TV subscribers excluding those from the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.
For Celtic TV subscribers in the UK and ROI, the match is available via audio.
Unfortunately, the game isn’t being televised live via an alternative broadcasting channel in the UK and ROI.
For those who aren’t subscribed to Celtic TV or don’t have a “Pass to Paradise” stream system, you can listen to live commentary of the game via the BBC (Click here for access).
Kick-off is at 3pm.
Fan Reaction
As expected, fans aren’t too pleased about the lack of a centre-forward on display once again.
Lennon stated after the Ferencvaros match that both Ajeti and Klimala weren’t up to speed in terms of their fitness. Given Odsonne Edouard is still injured then, this isn’t a huge surprise to see them both benched. Lennon has never been one to bow to pressure so easily.
But many will have been hoping that the manager alternated between the two strikers currently sitting on the bench. Whilst they may come on at some point however, neither have made the cut to start things off.
Here’s a look at some of the supporters’ views:
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